Spiral 2: Chain of Fate
by freya kurenai
Summary: gather children of the blade, from every corner of the world and prepare for war... ON BREAK.
1. prolouge

_Freya_: good day minna! I am pleased to present to you, a continuation…

_Warning: _…spiral…is not owned by either freya kurenai or kazuya arsashi…we are not so fortunate as unknown-person who is kyoushiro daira's descendant…oh unknown-person,if only you were here… looks off into the distance

This is the prolouge mind you

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"…_the blade children left?…"_

_2 years after their first encounter and just a few weeks to summer vacation, Eyes Rutherford returns to Japan after his world tour. This sudden re-appearance causes Narumi Ayumu to drag Yuizaki Hiyono to the pianist's penthouse, uninvited._

_There he meets the blade children again, on different circumstances. Now that they have 'let the dust blow away', it is time for them to face the new threat._

_A TV broadcast … a beacon of preparation for all those concerned… Ayumu decides to join the blade children in the gathering of their kind…but even his presence cannot disrupt the winds of fate…_

…_new blade children…_

…_new hunters…_

…_new weapons…_

…_new mysteries…_

…_and events that kill…_

_More secrets will be uncovered…something is coming…bigger and more dangerous than before…_

…_and it goes worldwide…_


	2. Scattering the pieces

_Freya: _so spiral lives again…what will it be this time? Trouble? Mayhem? Confusion? Agony? Suffering? Who knows?

Randomperson: you, duh!

Freya: ah,randomperson, we meet again! Do you dare-

Randomperson: just get on with the fic…

Freya: right! We'll battle later! randomperson:sweatdrops 

Warning: err…jumping? Falling face flat on the floor?

Disclaimer: …spiral, spiral…where for art thou spiral?

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Episode 1: Scattering the pieces 

…**_ayumu pov…_**

" Rutherford-san! Rutherford-san! Now that you're back from your world tour, what do you plan to do?" the voice of a reporter greeted me the instant I turned on the tv. And ice blue eyes stared out of the aforementioned object.

…and, as if on cue, a flash of black threw me down…

"Ayumu-kun!"

"Nee-chan!"

"Waii! Eyes Rutherford has come back Ayumu-kun!" a shrill , but familiar voice followed mine, signaling that Yuizaki tailed me.

The 2 women or girls, I don't know which is appropriate for my sister jumped for joy at the return of their beloved pianist… totally forgetting his background…

…_**end ayumu pov…**_

Narumi Ayumu stood up, brushed himself off and headed for the kitchen. An open magazine and 2 big plastic bags filled with food greeted him.

" chazuke… sigh … do we really need this much for chazuke?" the brunette asked.

"Ofcourse! Hiyono-chan is staying for dinner tonight!" Narumi Madoka said.

Ayumu sighed and put on his apron. He started to cook the by now memorized dish, all the while listening to the tv.

'..why has he come back?..'

…_**2 weeks later…**_

After classes, Ayumu and Hiyono made their way to Miraiyo Hotel. The hotel Eyes Rutherford was currently staying at.

"_..Eyes Rutherford will be spending time once again at Miraiyo Hotel, the hotel he occupied 2 years ago.."_

_Ayumu looked at the pot on the stove and knitted his eyebrows together. '..the same hotel?..'_

" Nee, Narumi-san, shouldn't we have told Madoka-chan we're seeing them?" Hiyono asked, walking after the brunette, who was speed walking.

" Who says we're seeing all of them?" Ayumu said as they walked into the empty elevator. "…just one…"

…_**Eyes' penthouse…**_

" Ryoko-chan!"

A silver haired girl squealed as a brunette wlaked in.

" Oi, Rio! Rutherford." She said with a nod to the pianist on his usual black piano. Rio ran and hugged her as another figure entered.

"Yo Rutherford. Yo Rio! Hey, Rio, did you shrink?"

Kousuke Asazuki teased. Eyes stood up and shook hands with the 2. All of them had changed a lot in the past 2 years.

Rio Takeuchi had grown another 11 mm, and her hair reached her knees. "Ryoko-chan, where's my melon?"

…but she still loved melons…

Ryoko Takamachi had let her chestnut brown hair grow longer,and it reached her waist in a trim cut. She still loves sports though… "Kousuke, catch!" she said as she threw the melon to the redhead.

Kousuke Asazuki caught the melon , unaware that it was not his. " Sankyuu!" Not much had changed about the dagger wielding blade child…except for the fact that he wears a variety of shades and glasses now.

" Kousuke-baka , give me back my melon!"

" Rio, you know I don't have your brain!"

"eh? Kousuke-baka, are you alright?"

"well, your melon is technically your brain so-"-tosses melon to Ryoko-" I don't have it."

"Mouuu!"

…_**outside…lounge-thingy…**_

" Chotto matte you , Narumi-san!" Hiyono called after the brunette. "Narumi-san , what do you expect to find this time?"

" Shiranai…but I feel something…"

Ayumu said as they entered the elevator that would lead them to the glasslined penthouse.

…_**ayumu pov…**_

They suddenly appear out of nowhere…what do they have planned _this _time? I've only had one contact , and that's with Rio…

A single e-mail…no valid return address…no trace…nothing…

'_To: narumi-otouto_

_the blade children are one Narumi-otouto. Keep believing in your own power._

_From: rio'_

Maybe I'm a bit too paranoid… maybe there's nothing going on… maybe it's just that nagging feeling I've suppressed these 2 years…Rutherford… what do you intend to- "We're here Narumi-san!"

I snap out of my reverie as Yuizaki dragged me out. Luckily there wasn't any one visible. I slowly reach for the chrome handle and gripped it.

…5 seconds passed…

…10 seconds…

…15 seconds…

" Narumi-san…"

" Wakatteiru…"

I reply letting go. I wont take the chance of destroying the peace… " Ikuzo." I turn around , an odd sense of defeat in my chest and after a few steps, fall face flat on the floor.

…_**end pov…**_

" Narumi-san!" Hiyono shouted as Ayumu pried a silver-haired girl off him. "Ayumu-kun! Ayumu-kun!" she chanted.

" T-T-Takeuchi?" the chocolate haired boy stuttered. The once small prodigy had grown a bit… at least from the wait he felt on him before.

" Yo Ayumu!" Another familiar voice greeted him. Ahand helped him up , and he came face to face with the boy who once tried to kill him with a box of killer wasps / bees, Kousuke Asazuki.

"Yo kanojou!" Kousuke waved at Hiyono who glared and said, " It's H-I-Y-O-N-O! mouu…"

"Asazuki, Takamachi." Ayumu said as a brunette with waist long hair came out too, grinning at him. "Ayumu."

…_**inside…**_

" Rutherford." " Narumi-otouto."

Hiyono sighed at this cold greeting between the 2.

"Mou! Narumi-san, Eyes-kun, greet each other!" she said.

"Sou-sou!"

"I agree with Hiyono-chan!"

"Ore mou."

Rio, Ryoko and Kousuke said, cornering the 2 pianists.

Ayumu sighed and faced the older, the same time as he did.

"…Eyes…" "…Ayumu…"

It felt a little weird, after all the deadly tests and enigmatic conversations, wherein they used their last names, here they are, saying their first names to each other.

" Yoshi! Nee, Ryoko-chan, how are you and Kousuke-kun?"

Hiyono asked, dragging the 2 girls to the velvet couch. a/n: the penthouse now has 2 velvet couches opposite each other 

Eyes walked soundlessly towards the other couch, far from the girls and the other 2 followed suit.

" So… why did you come back?"

…_**other couch…girl's couch…**_

" Wha-? Hey, wait a minute, what about you and Ayumu? How's _your _ relationship?" Ryoko countered.

"N-Nani!" Rio and Hiyono exclaimed, the latter blushing timidly. "Narumi-san is just a friend to me…"

"Really?"

"Really!" '…at least I think so…'

"Nee, let's watch tv!" Rio suggested, pullin the girls' hands. They entered the adjacent room, leaving the silence to enter.

…_**boys' couch…ayumu pov…**_

"So…why did you come back?"

Idiot! What a stupid question! Of all the things…

"Some days…like this one…" the blue eyed pianist said, surprising me. "What days?" I ask, sitting next to the pianist. "…" was Eyes' short reply.

"Mou! There he goes again! What next? A black cat and some dried sardines?" Kousuke was obviously joking since Eyes did not reply…what kind of logic is that?

"A silent voice called…" Eyes mumbled. "2 years Eyes…I think that's a bit too short…" I trail off, what I meant to say afterwards forgotten…or best not said.

"Have you found Kiyotaka?" Kousuke asked. I shook my head and looked at the red haired… " 21 now Asazuki?"

"Yup…Rutherford's 19, and you?" he asked. "17"

"So…" he said, leering closer, "..what's going on between you and Hiyono-chan?"

"N-n-nani !"

…_**eyes pov…**_

Sou…it's too short for us to be here…Narumi-otouto…You've changed, I can tell…Though if you've gotten stronger or weaker only time will tell.

But…I believe you're stronger now…I feel something else is coming…Kanone…

…_**end povs…**_

"Narumi-san! Narumi-san!" Hiyono's trembling voice

pierced the silence, along with Rio's shaking "Eyes-kun…Kousuke…"

The trio got up and ran towards the next room. It had a 60 inch plasma tv and a couple of black couches around.

"It's been doing that again and again…" Hiyono said.

The screen showed a shadowy figure, probably male, talking in a hoarse but very audible voice. "What's going on?" Kousuke asked.

"…_the time of truth… is coming…"_

…_**madoka's office…**_

"…_for the… Blade Children…find your pieces…"_

Narumi Madoka stared in shock at the screen.

"I-Inspector Narumi?"

…_**somewhere else…**_

"…_from around the world…and be prepared…for the…final judgement…"_

A brunette turned off the tv, and walked towards the window.

'…it's time…'

…_**eyes' penthouse…**_

Eyes turned off the tv, trying , trying like the others to gain hold of the situation.

"Ayu- I mean, Narumi-otouto, I hate to ask you to leave like this, but we have to talk." He said.

"Wakatta. Ikuzo Yuizaki." Ayumu said, exiting the room.

"… what do we do now?…"

…_**narumi apartment…**_

"Ayumu-kun!" Madoka rushed through the door to find her brother-in-law cooking dinner.

"Nee-chan! You're early.." he said.

"…ehrm…I had someone take over my shift…" she said sitting down, her back facing the brunette.

"…I went to Rutherford's place…"

"Sou…"

"…you saw…?"

"…yes, Ayumu-kun…"

Ayumu exited the room, heading for his own.

"I wonder what they'll do this time…"

**OWARI-DESU!**

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_Freya:_ waii! Eyes is back, and the blade children too! But what was that weird broadcast? And what did it mean? Find out next time!

since there is no hiyo-hiyo puppet theater available, we will not have the hiyo-hiyo puppet theater today

_polaris-san:_ arigatou for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

_Swt little devil 22:_ yeah,yeah…viperbox will have a new chappie soon!

_Kousuke-sama:_ here you are, the chappie I've been chatting with you about! I hope you like it!

_Chotto matte you : wait up/ wait for me!_

_Sankyuu: thankyou_

_Wakatteiru: I understand_

_Kanojou: girl_

_Sou: yeah/ right_

_Yoshi: alright! Ok!_

_Nani: what?_

_Freya:ja,sayonara!_


	3. summer scent

Freya: glad to see that some are taking interest to chain of fate… here is the next chapter of our little fic that I would like to call… Summer Scent…

_Warning: …err… blood… teddy bears… chalk…_

_And now I give you a short disclaimner…_

… _nothing…_

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…_**yuizaki house…**_

"Hiyo-chan! Ayumu-san's here!" A blonde lady wearing a pink apron called out to her daughter.

In her room, Hiyono hastily 'ribboned' up her hair and ran down the stairs. " See yu later dear." Her mother said.

"Sayonara hahaue!"

… _**a couple of meters away from the school…**_

"I want you to do some research about that weird tv broadcast. Apparently it didn't cover too far. Miraiyo Hotel, Tokyo Police Building, search within 15 to 25 kilometers from those 2 points." Ayumu launched into a well-deduced plan of action for Hiyono as they approached the school.

"Hai! Anything else Narumi-san?" Hiyono chirped. She was excited to finally have a new mission.

"Yeah, I'll see you at the staff room at lunch" Ayumu said, running ahead.

"Hai Narumi-san!"

…_**eyes' penthouse… dream…**_

"Hahaue! Hahaue! Don't! Don't leave me… Hahaue!" An 8-year-old Eyes called out, as the face of a pretty blu-eyed lady started to fade away.

She disappeared finally and suddenly, the blade children started to appear one by one. Kousuke, Ryoko, Rio, Sayako, … Kanone…

"Kanone…"

"…you left me Eyes… Sayonara…"

Kanone said, and started to walk away. Each step he took, one of the blade children disappeared and soon none of them were left.

"Kanone!"

The scenery changed from a blinding white to a grave. "Hahaue…" Suddenly he heard gunshots and when he turned, he saw the blade children's lifeless bodies lying infront of him… bloody and lifeless…

"… Eyes…"

"Kanone!"

…_**end of dream…**_

Eyes Rutherford sat up on his bed , panting slightly in a cold sweat. '…Hahaue… Kanone…' 

His long silver hair clung to him, as he stood up and walked towards the windows of his penthouse.

'…Kanone…'

…_**hiyono's classroom…hiyono pov**_

"Nee, Aya are you going to invite Ran-sama to the festival?" 

"Maybe, Akita, will you be going there with Mitsuhi?"

"Sou! I'll go with Tokiya-sama!"

"Hontou, Ritsumi-chan?"

"Alright girls, you're supposed to be finishing your projects…" The sensei said, silencing them… I continue to type furiously, Narumi-san gave me a mission and I intend to-

"Itte!"

"Yuizaki! Pay attention!" a piece of chalk made its mark on my forehead again… itte… what is it anyway? Narumi-san will be mad at me if I don't finish this search right away…

"Tonikaku, we have a new student, Reichiyo Hazagawa.

An exchange student from Latvia." Sensei motioned to pretty ebony black haired girl with green eyes. I blinked and started to type away again when sensei made her sit with me…mouuuuuuuuuu……..

"ano, Yuizaki-san, gomen if I disturbed you…"

"daijoubu… Narumi-san will be furious if I don't get this done…that's ok Hazagawa-san!" I said, I should try to be friendly to someone who missed the entire school year…

"Narumi? Ano…Yuizaki-san… yorushikunigaishimasu!" she said and extended her hand.

"Yorushikunigaishimasu to you too, Hazagawa-san!"

…_**ayumu's classroom…ayumu's pov…**_

Nee-chan told Watanabe to do some research about that weird broadcast…I wonder if he got anything… Yuizaki should be able to pull out the address of the owner by now…

More importantly, what will they do about this? It doesn't seem to be a bluff… Rutherford and the others better be careful…

…_**end of pov… eyes' penthouse..**_

"So, any ideas as to who might have done that?" Kousuke Asazuki asked, sitting at his usual spot on the couch.

"The Hunters are back, that is obvious… I'm sure that Ayu-Narumi-otouto and Yuizaki are doing their own research about it…" Eyes replied, playing on his piano.

"Chikusho…Well, I knew this peace wouldn't have lasted long…What do you think they want this time? Maybe P-"

Kousuke stopped when he saw the glare that Eyes was giving him.

"if not our heads on silver platters, they might want that, but something tells me they've gotten all they can on it." Eyes said, stopping his melody with a dull note that was not supposed to be.

"Alert Rio and Ryoko…We'll be leaving soon…" The blue-eyed pianist instreucted the red-head. "Ryoukai, kaichou!"

"Consider it a threat, Kousuke. Don't let your guard down"

"Moushiro. Ja , bye-bye…"

'…Ayumu… will you be willing again…?'

…_**lunch…staff room…ayumu pov…**_

"You're late, Narumi-san" 

Yuizaki said as I entered the room. I'd taken to eating and spending my free time here, but why I still make Yuizaki her lunches is still a mystery to me…

"Did you find anything?" I asked as I set the 2 bentos on the table.

"Hai! The Taiko company , according to my research, was operating yesterday at said locations. Taiko had shut down 3 years ago due to the death of the heir, Rei Masafu—"

she froze…she sniffed the air… her face cracked into a big smile… grumble,grumble… she was hungry…

…_**end pov…**_

The door of the staff room slid open lowly and a girl with ebony black hair poked her head in.

"Ano…Is Yuizaki-san here?"

Her eyes scanned the room, widened at Ayumu and caught Hiyono's.

"Ara! Hazagawa-san!" Hiyono exclaimed after gulping down most of the 'intoxicating' curry.

"Ano, could I talk to you outside for a minute?"

"ok.."

…_**outside…**_

"nani, Hazagawa-san?"

The girl blushed and timidly handed Hiyono a vilote teddy bear before running away.

"Arigatou Reichoyo-chan! I hope we'll be good friends!"

…_**back inside…**_

"Naniyou?" Ayumu asked looking curiously at the teddy bear.

"It's a gift from Reichiyo-chan! Isn't it cute Narumi-san!"

Hiyono squealed, huggiong the bear.

…_**somewhere else…**_

"Hai. I've given them the bomb"

"Good Divmitri…Watch them."

"Hai."

…_**staff room…**_

"Hmmm… The lock on the mainframe is certainly hard to crack Narumi-san…" Hiyono said, typing frantically.

"I already tried re-routing the syatem, but the 5th lock keeps going on and off if I do…"

Ayumu, who was looking at the bear, glanced at the screen.

"Try redirecting the pass-code to force the system to re-boot and open by itself." He said.

"Ryoukai!"

… _**15 minutes later…**_

"it seems that the Taiko-lead was a dead end Narumi-san"

Hiyono said as her laptop showed a sad face.

"Sorry about that I'll-" Ayumu's phone rang, therefore halting his invitation.

"Hello?"

"Narumi…"

"Who is this?"

"You have a…. bomb in your… hands… you have… 5 minutes to…cut one of the wires and stop… it from exploding…"

click…beep…beep…

"Narumi-san?" Hiyono asked as Ayumu grabbed the violet teddy bear and ran outside. She followed suit, asking,

"What's the matter Narumi-san!"

"This bear is a bomb…" he stated, revealing a bomb inside the bear, in the exact same position as a certain blade child's IRIS bear.

They reached the fountain, catching their breaths.

"We have 4 minutes and 43 seconds before it explodes…"Ayumu said, his eyebrows knitting.

Hiyono fought hard to not smile, it had been a long time since she saw those eyebrows knit.

The bomb was built so that it had a complicated mass of wires in it. 12 wires intermingled with each other, forming quite a problem.

'…one of these wires can disengage the bomb…but which one?' He thought, staring hard at the bomb.

4:39:22…

4:39:21…

4:39:20…

4:39:20…

4:39:20…

Ayumu took out his switchblade, looking at the red, blue and smiley-faced wires that were connected to the timer separated from the others.

He hovered over the wires…

"The melody of reasoning will always play out the truth." He said, keeping his switch blade.

"Narumi-san?"

The brunette pulled out his cellphone and hovered it over the black box. "…yes…right here…"

He pressed the call button and the timer slowed down.

"Duck!"

he shouted as he threw the bomb into the fountain…

BOOM!

A short spray of water was the result of the explosion. Ayumu and Hiyono were slightly drenched but smiling all the same.

"Perfect solution to a hot day ne, Yuizaki?"Ayumu asked.

"Hai Narumi-san! But how did you figure out how to stop the bomb without cutting off the wires?" Hiyono asked.

"There's always a signal for the bomb to go off if it's not done manually. I disrupted it using my phone, it had to be directly over the box… gomen your bears'-" Ayumu never finished his sentence, for he stood up and started to run after…

Reichiyo…

He caught her and Hiyono ran up to them. "Reichiyo-chan?"

"I am not Reichiyo. My name is Victoria Divmitri, one of the Hunters… We destroy anyone who get in our way… You better watch your step, Narumi-ototuto."

And with that Victoria took out a gun, poited it at Ayumu, then at herself.

A loud gun shot pierced the air, and her body dropped to the ground… fresh blood dripping from the hole in her head.

"…Nee-chan…I'd like to report something…"

…_**police car of narumi…**_

"Arigatou, Madoka-chan."

Yuizaki said as she got out of the car."Sayonara Narumi-san."

I nod and we speed off. "Ayumu-kun, what happened?"

…I can't not answer her…

"She was a hunter-" –a sharp intake of breath-"… they're back… and are after the balde children…"

…_**narumi apartment…still pov…**_

I pick up the bouquet of irises infront of out door . There was a note attached.

Do not be afraid of the unknown The future rests in your hands… 

"…Kiyotaka…"

"…Aniki…"

" We destroy anyone who gets in our way…you better watch your step, Narumi-otouto."

…_**somewhere else again…**_

A wide screen showed the lifeless body of Victoria Divmitri. A puff of smoke blew across it. 

" Kaichou, Victoria Divmitri has failed in eliminating Narumi Kiyotaka's younger brother… she took charge in eliminating herself." A female voice said.

A male voice replied.the same one in the broadcast.

"She deserved it… at least she knows when she has failed. Proceed with the plan…"

'…soon Blade Children… very soon…'

OWARI

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_Freya: sayonara minna!_


	4. new blade

Freya :waiii! You like the story! You guys really think it's like the anime? I am sooooooooooo happy!anyway, review replies!

_**CeTe: arigatou gozaimasu CeTe-san! It really is like the anime? Waiii!**_

_**Kazuya-sama: oh good! You forgive me…anyway, as I said, I was speed typing!anyway, carry on with Touched by an angel…on the ntbk and the net**_

…

**_Kousuke-sama: arigatou for reviewing kousuke-sama! And now, I wont type the 4th chappie instead of the 3rd one…hehehe…_**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiral, or else I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't have known that bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep .**_

_**Warnings:… … … … … … … … … ;**_

**_And here is the 3rd installment of our little fic, entitled by Kazuya Arsashi… New Blade_**

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…_**ayumu's classroom…**_

" Now just because it's the last day of school doesn't mean you can slack off."

**The teacher's command fell on deaf ears as the students of Tsukiomi High school, class 3-A continued with their last-day-of-school routine.**

**Most were chatting, planning summer events they would host/attend/crash. Some were destroying bad memories of their past year aka tearing up report cards, throwing books at each other in hope of getting it in the trash can, others were taking naps, so that they could not be disturbed from their much-awaited, summer-induced dreams.**

**And somehow, amidst this minor chaos, one student with chocolate-brown hair and chestnut brown eyes manages to suppress all summer-induced emotional break-outs and continues to stare out the window to his left, the window he had always been staring out of whether out of boredom…**

…**or due to the mysteries that once racked his mind.**

**And now, as summer looms closer,-one could feel it in the air of the classroom alone-, he is faced with another mystery…**

…**one that had phoned him at 2:30 am and had left him with a dreamless sleep.**

…ayumu pov…Flashback!

_**The moment I laid my head on my greatfully warm and fluffy pillow after sending Nee-chan to sleep with a promise of chazuke for breakfast, my phone rang.**_

_**I curse the idiot that dared call me at this moment…**_

"_**..Yuizaki, I am going to sleep, and I will not entertain your babbling-"**_

"_**Narumi-otouto."**_

…_**Rutherford?…no way…I'm sleepy…that's it…it cant possibly be…**_

"_**Narumi-otouto, I did not call you at this ungodly time of day just to receive a mute response."**_

_**Nope, no doubt…it IS Rutherford…**_

"_**Naniyou, Rutherford? As you have said, this is an ungodly time of day…"**_

"…_**You were attacked, were you not? By a new hunter."**_

"_**Yes…a bomb in a bear, of all techniques…what do you want? I doubt you were worried about me."**_

"_**On the contrary, we are."**_

_**I catch my breath before I could say something stupid…**_

"_**But I did not call you for that simple reason. You remember ofcourse the day that you came to my penthouse uninvited, yes?"**_

_**duh. I almost got run-over by a truck from hurrying.**_

"_**Yes, why?"**_

"_**I'm sure you still remember that on that day, a broadcast was shown. Am I correct to say that you and Yuizaki had done research on it, and failed?"**_

"_**Yes you are. Now what does this have to do with you calling me at 2:30 am?"**_

"…_**that broadcast was a beacon of preparation Narumi-otouto. As you heard on that day, the blade children have to gather their pieces from around the world."**_

"_**There are more of you?" I ask before I could stop myself…as of now, I am fully awake.**_

"_**Yes…"**_

"…_**I thought that it might have been referring to weapons of some sort…but you don't really need weapons now do you?"**_

" _**You could say that, Narumi-otouto. This means that our mystery has not been solved yet. Am I right to say that by this, you have not yet surpassed Kiyotaka?"**_

"_**If this phone call will be revolving around me and my brother, I'd rather not participate in it."**_

_**I move to put my phone down when-**_

"_**Ayumu."**_

…

"_**Nani?"**_

"_**I did not call you to discuss your brother. No. I called you because I need to talk to you about the blade children."**_

"_**Very well…go ahead…"**_

"_**As that broadcast states the time is coming for the final judgement of the blade children. It is time for us to gather the other blade children and fight."**_

"_**How does this concern me?"**_

"_**Narumi-otouto. Surely you are not foolish enough to think that Kiyotaka only warned us now do you? Ofcourse he has told the others…"**_

"_**and so?"**_

" _**I present to you a proposal Narumi-otouto. You, as the savior of the blade children, will come with us on our trip around the world in search of the other blade children and in return, as we travel, we will help you in your own search of Kiyotaka."**_

"_**What?"**_

"_**To put it simply, we are asking you to join us in our travel. You ARE the savior are you not? Or have you been fooling us?"**_

_**How could he say that? Me fool you? Have you forgotten that I almost died because of the games that you played? …still… **_

"_**I suggest you think, and think well Narumi-otouto.**_

_**This trip will mean the safety of the blade children…all of the blade children…"**_

_**But am I foolish enough to think that you do not care at all about our safety?"**_

"_**Rutherford, you didn't just say that I don't care about you. In a way, yes I do 'care' about you. I don't know how, or why, but I do."**_

"_**So you accept ?"**_

…_**I don't know…**_

"_**I said I cared."**_

"_**But isn't caring a sign that you are accepting our proposal?"**_

"_**I never knew you to be emotional Rutherford."**_

"_**Truth be told, Narumi-otouto… you never knew any of us… Why did I even call you?"**_

_**It was a question to himself… not to me…**_

"…_**Narumi-otouto…"**_

…_**that's it…I won't regret this…I hope…**_

"_**Rutherford, before you say anything…I … **_

_**I'm not saying I don't accept your proposal…give me time to think…"**_

…

…

…

"_**Very well Narumi-otouto."**_

"_**Yeah."**_

_**CLICK.**_

…_**I REALLY need some sleep now…**_

…

"…_**a trip around the world huh…Rutherford?"**_

… _**end flashback and pov…**_

Ding…dong…ding..dong… 

**Finally, the time of freedom has come.**

**It was summer vacation.**

**The students run out of the school, cheering as they did. No one minded the chocolate-brown haired brunette that moon walked out, eyebrows knitted and mind clouded with confusion.**

…**Ayumu Narumi, Tsukiomi High, class 3-A, savior of the blade children, Narumi Kiyotaka's younger brother and…**

…**a very confused 17 year old…**

"**Narumi-san! Have you made your decision yet?"**

**Yuizaki Hiyono ran up to the brunette who sighed heavily. Ayumu shook his head and bit his lower lip. This was taking more time than he expected.**

"**Ja, that's a 'no' then." She said. Hiyono smiled and Ayumu continued to think. **

"**Narumi-san, it's been 2 years since you've seen each other…and besides, they are your friends now! You should help them with all you can!" Hiyono said, her fist in the air.**

'**right… friends… friends who tried to kill by a) sending a swarm of killer bees/wasps at me, b) self-mutilitation, c) a finale game with a bomb attached to my neck or d) a mentor… Hilbert…'**

**Ayumu stopped walking at the thought of the golden-eyed brunette…**

"**Yuizaki." He said, a little too strongly.**

"**Hai?" she asked, stepping into the elevator with the brunette.**

"**I've made my decision. Ah… I WILL go…"**

…_**eyes' penthouse…**_

" Yoshi! Everything's set." A red-haired balde child said as 4 BIG suitcases were neatly stacked together.

**He picked up his phone and dialed Ryoko's number.**

"**Now, Ryoko, Rio, better hurry up. Bring your stuff up already, me and Rutherford are already packed." Kousuke said to the phone before jamming it into his pocket.**

**Eyes Rutherford walked out of his bedroom to find Kousuke sitting lazily on the suitcases. "Dare I ask, Kousuke, but what's inside that suitcase?"**

"**Well you see, I bought this really big book of languages! I mean, if were gonna travel around the world, we should know how to speak right? I mean, imagine walking into a restaurant and you don't know if Fruu la scion is edible!"**

**Kousuke grinned and ran off, leaving Eyes alone.**

**Rio came in and having passed Kousuke, had the expression that ultimately said, 'Aho.'**

**She smiled at Eyes and suddenly ran out again, saying "I forgot my melon!"**

…

**Eyes sat down on the couch, looking at his celphone. The call he had been waiting for hadn't come yet.**

**Looking back at last night, he realized that it was a pretty stupid thing to do… He had said, after putting the down the phone and looking out into the darkness that was slowly dissipitating, **

" The call of the Blade Children is seldom heard Narumi-otouto."

He sighed. He held his silver-haired head in his hands and let a low, almost unaudible moan of confusion.

He had never liked being confused… he found it very vexing, not knowing what comes next or what will happen after this certain action or word was done ore said. Yes, Eyes Rutherford hated being confused.

…As much as he hated being deceived…

And as if someone had read his thoughts and played them out, the phone in his hand rang and he answered it. Let it be him…Let it be him… Anyone BUT him…

"Hello?"

"Nyaw Bla-Chil."

His prayer was unanswered. It was Kanone Hilbert on the wretched phone, and not Ayumu.

"Kanone… I am expecting a call… If you could deceive me quicker…"

"Eyes…"

That tone again… how he hated that tone of voice… Does he expect everything to be normal gain!

"It's been too long Eyes." He said in a soothing voice.

"Not long enough."

"Hmhm, maybe… do you believe so? Anyway, my time is limited… They've attacked Narumi-otouto haven't they?" He asked.

"Yes they have." Eyes answered, trying to calm down. 2 years had he not heard this familiar voice… 2 years…

"I see… You are moving now?"

"Yes."

He answered in short phrases, willing this conversation to end…

"Hmmm… Very well. Come to China immediately. I've found a Blade Child with interesting capabilities."

Silence from Eyes. He did not want to hear about Kanone's new discovery. No.

"Well, my time is up. Goodbye Eyes, and take care."

CLICK!

Eyes put the phone down slowly and held his arms. No, he would not make a sound… nothing…

' Kanone…'

" Do you intend to search for the light, and leave me behind ?"

"…Eyes..."

…ayumu's apartment…

"…Ja… what did you want to talk to me about?"

Madoka asked, though she knew the answer the brunette would reply with.

"The Blade Children are going on a trip around the world… to gather the rest of their kind…

Last night… they asked if I could… come with them…

I might be able to… find Kiyotaka on the way…

And… I want to go."

Ayumu looked at his sister-in-law, his decision had already been made. If she refused, well… Whoever said he needed her approval?

"Demo Ayumu-kun…What if this was all a trap? I can't trust them… Don't tell me that you do…" Madoka finished lamely, she knew what her brother-in-law was feeling… even if he himself didn't.

"Nee-chan… The mystery of the blade children hasn't been solved yet… It's my job to solve it… I… I…

I don't want to live in Kiyotaka's shadow anymore!"

"He gave up in helping them… I won't do that… I just can't ignore it… I don't know why, but I AM coming with them…" Ayumu stood up and headed for his room.

Madoka buried her face in her hands.

"Hiyono-chan… Do you think I should let him go?"

Her voice shook, and she was close to tears.

Hiyono smiled brightly, and said,

"Hai. He still has many things he wants to do with them… things to ask the Blade Children…

And besides… If the Blade Children died… it would be like he died as well… There's a strong bond of friendship between them… it may be blurry… it may not be easy to see… but it's there."

…later that night…

"Ayumu-kun..?"

Madoka opened the door of Ayumu's room to find that the brunette wasn't there.

She ran outside and drove to the only place he could be at.

…Miraiyo Hotel…Eyes' penthouse…

"So you've made you decision?"

Eyes Rutherford asked, as the Blade Children formed a wide circle around Ayumu and Hiyono.

"Ah… We're coming with you… We'll try to find to find Kiyotaka on the way… But I won't let you guys die first."

Rio jumped and hugged Ayumu, as Kousuke and Ryoko patted his back, smiles on their faces.

Ayumu turned to the blue-eyed pianist and it seemed to open a telepathic bond…

' I won't let you die Rutherford…'

' Who said I will?'

"Yoshi! We're leaving tomorrow!"

Kousuke exclaimed, fist in the air. The gir;s cheered along with him, but this was short lived aince a figure entered the room.

"Nee-chan…" Ayumu muttered.

"Ayumu-kun… promise… promise me you'll come back… Don't… Don't follow his path… please…"

Madoka said, and Rio approached her.

"Madoka-san, I know I speak for all the Blade Children when I say that we won't let Ayumu-kun get hurt… As he trusts us, we trust him."

The Blade Children nodded and Kousuke shouted,

"Ok! Let's have a party!"

"YEAH!"

… Miraiyo Hotel… Dining hall…

While the others , including Madoka, were eating to their heart's content, Eyes and Ayumu were talking.

"We leave at 9 am tomorrow… I won't tolerate you being late." Eyes said.

"Yeah…" Ayumu replied sitting down on a couch.

"Our first stop id China. We will be taking my jet plane."

"Sou…"

…

"Don't forget to bring your weapon Narumi-otouto."

"What weapon?"

"Your mind, Narumi-otouto. Your mind… You'll need it, I'm sure of that."

…roadside…after eating…

"I'll just bring Yuizaki home."

Ayumu said as Madoka stepped into a cab and sped away.

" Your mind is your most powerful weapon Narumi-otouto. The Hunters are smarter and much more cunning than before…"

"Ah! Narumi-san, mitte, mitte!"

Hiyono shouted, pointing at the dark, moon lit sky. Ayumu looked up, and caught a shooting star fliyng by.

"Waii! I think that that's a good omen for tomorrow nee?"

As the shooting star graced the sky, one could not help but wonder…

Is this a good omen… or a sign of bad luck?

OWARI

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FREYA: there! Well everybody, that was the 3rd chapter… Kanone was the brunette!

Remember, this button grants one Spiral based wish!

I

I

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	5. ni zai zhu she me ?

Disclaimer: Freya: looks at Asano your turn sicko 

Asano: I am not a sicko… Freya Kurenai and Kazuya Arsashi (wherever she is) do not own Spiral… surprise, surprise…

Freya: thanks wacko… anyway, as mentioned by Kazuya-sama in her great fic, _FleurdeLis, _Eyes will now have proper attention in China…

Asano: though that might not be the only thing he gets… (smirk) and I am not a wacko…

Freya: don't listen to this sick wacko folks, but maybe you should… better yet, listen to –

Asano: shut up and introduce the fic… (bonks Freya on the head)

Freya: you're just sore coz Rikku's not here…

Warning: Asano: swearing, the wave of stupidity, the people _riding _the wave of stupidity, and alcohol-consuming boys.

Freya: and now, we present to you… 

_**Ni Zai Zhu She Me?**_

_**What's cooking? **_

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**Narumi Apartment… 8:00 am…**

" Hurry up Ayumu-kun, you're gonna be late!" Madoka Narumi called out to her brother-in-law who was combing his hair in the bathroom.

"Hai. Nee-chan." Narumi Ayumu replied, inspecting himself in the mirror one last time and running out. His travel bags were sitting near the door, waiting for their owner to finish a quick breakfast.

Ayumu sat down on his chair and grabbed a slice of bread.

He reached out for the peanut butter jar that was on the table and paused.

If he chose the peanut butter, it would take an extra amount of time since the peanut butter would most likely stick to the roof of his mouth. But if he chose the jam, it would most likely get on his shirt, which was light colored at the moment… which one?….

"Ayumu-kun? Are you ok?" Madoka asked as she waved a hand infront of the brunette. "… wha- I'm sorry nee-chan…"

Ayumu shook his head and chose to eat his bread plain.

After eating (is inhaling your food considered as eating?) the rest of his breakfast, Ayumu grabbed his bags and turned to his sister-in-law.

"Don't worry about me Nee-chan, I'll be fine… Sayonara…" he said and closed the door, not wanting to see his sister-in-law's face.

' _I'm not my brother… so I can probably do this… at least I'm trying…' _he thought.

As Ayumu ran towards the station, he thought of many things…

… What would happen on this trip?…

… What mysteries would they solve?…

…What secrets about the Blade Children that he did not know before would be revealed to him now? …

…What would Kiyotaka's reaction be when he finds out that Ayumu had found him? …

Ayumu's heart began to beat faster and his mind was racing… He was considering the many possible reactions of the older Narumi when that little voice spoke up…

… _You know that that's preposterous … There's a 0.001 chance out of 100 that you'd find him and talk to him long enough to find out his reaction…_

Ayumu scowled. He looked out the window of the bullet train he was on and sighed inwardly. Sometimes logic was annoying.

**Ichigawa Airport… 8: 32 am…**

The Blade Children were waiting for their 'companion' at Ichigawa Airport and while doing so, thoughts of the utmost importance were circling their minds…

**Ryoko pov**

**…** Hmm… I wonder if I should play my Greenday cd… I haven't memorized 'Jesus of Suburbia' yet… come to think of it… I heard Kousuke humming it in the limo awhile ago…what was that… I don't feel any shame

_I won't apologize…_

_When there ain't nowhere you can go…_

_Running away from pain when you've been victimized…_

_Tales from another broken… home…_ cool…

…_**end pov…**_

…_**Rio pov…**_

Are there melons in China, I wonder… hmmmm… eh? What's Ryoko-chan humming? … It sounds like 'Jesus of Suburbia' …

_At the center of the Earth  
_

_In the parking lot  
_

_Of the 7-11 were I was taught  
_

_The motto was just a lie  
_

_It says home is where your heart is  
_

_But what a shame  
_

_Cause everyone's heart  
_

_Doesn't beat the same  
_

_We're beating out of time…_

Hmm.. I like that song…but melons are better… (sigh) mou, Ayumu-kun is late…

**Kousuke pov… **

_Where the hell is Little Narumi?…mou…rats… where was I? Oh yeah…_

_I'm the son of rage and love  
_

_The Jesus of suburbia  
_

_From the bible of none of the above  
_

_On a steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin  
_

_No one ever died for my sins in hell  
_

_As far as I can tell  
_

_At least the ones I got away with_

_And there's nothing wrong with me  
_

_This is how I'm supposed to be  
_

_In a land of make believe  
_

_That don't believe in me  
_

_… hey, there's Narumi-otuoto… Finally!_

_**End pov…** _

Ayumu Narumi and Hiyono Yuizaki were walking towards them, and the Little Narumi looked distinctly ruffled.

"Eyes is already in the plane, drinking and- what happened to you?" Kousuke asked as he helped Ayumu with his bags.

His hair looked like it had a face-to-face encounter with a blast of strong wind. " I hate 8-wheeler trucks…" He mumbled.

Hiyono had walked directly towards Rio and Ryoko, and was greeted with a hug and was now being led towards the plane's doors. (I don't know what those things are called, sorry!)

Kousuke decided to hum 'Jesus of Suburbia' to himself as Ayumu pulled out a comb form his bag and started to comb his hair. After 2 minutes of this, they walked towards the doors of the plane.

When they got on the plane, the doors immediately slammed shut and they were catapulted to flight.

The 2 boys were grabbing onto the chairs as they walked towards the bar where a slightly flushed Eyes Rutherford was sitting.

"W-W-what w-wa-s-s th-that f-f-f-for?" Ayumu asked as the plane continued to gain speed. Kousuke nodded and gulped, he was turning a sick shade of green now.

"You were late." Was Eyes' simple and tremble-free reply. Finally they stopped gaining speed and they were now cutting through the clouds in normal speed.

Eyes swirled the 2 remaining ice cubes in his glass of Bloody Mary and silently stood up to get some more.

Kousuke swallowed and grimaced, then walked over to the bar. It was filled, top to bottom with every kind of alcoholic drink you could afford. Which was a lot since this was Eyes' plane.

He ran his hands over the bottles and extracted 2, one with the label Novellino and the other Long Island .

Ayumu raised an eyebrow at the Blade Child. " What are you doing?" he asked. Kousuke stopped at mid-uncorking and looked at the brunette. "Bartending." He replied and uncorked the bottles with much difficulty.

Eyes was looking obliviously at his glass, rewinding a certain phone call that had happened just minutes before Narumi-otouto and Asazuki had interrupted him.

_**Flashback…Eyes' pov…** _

_RING! RING! RING!_

_"Hello?" I held the phone with one hand and with the other I placed my glass back down on the table. _

"Hello Eyes."

_For a few seconds his voice didn't register in my mind… then it all came back… that face… that smile… that voice… it was him._

"Eyes? Are you alright?" _he asked._

_I had to be composed. I had to be calm. I always am and now I need to be more than ever._

_"Kanone. Why did you call me?"_

_He chuckled before he answered._

"Nothing, I just wanted to talk that's all. How are you?" 

_Pissed off._

_"Fine. What did you want to talk about?"_

"You are following my advice to go to China right?" 

_"Yes." I wouldn't want to except that it seems logical to do so._

"Good. Well, just checking. Bye."

_CLICK! Bye… Idiot… _

_**End pov…and flashback **_

"Hey, Eyes, you ok?" Kousuke asked as he waved a hand infront of the silver-haired boy. He had finished 'bartending' and was about to sit down next to Ayumu who was looking at the glasses in his hands, when Kousuke noticed that Eyes had stopped drinking and was staring at his drink.

"Yeah." Eyes replied and drank the rest of his drink. He grabbed the bottle of B.Mary and poured a generous amount of blood red liquid into his glass. He swirled it once and drank half of it in one swig. You could tell he was no novice in drinking.

Ayumu was, however. When Kousuke handed him the Long Island glass, he just looked at it. "What, don't tell me you haven't drank this stuff before?" Kousuke asked as he surveyed the girls from his seat.

Rio was cross-stitching a melon. Ryoko was reading a brochure from a sports magazine she had read and Hiyono was looking outside humming the strange song.

When Kousuke turned back to Ayumu, the brunette was still just looking at his drink with no interest. "Look, do I have to forcefeed you, or will you drink that yourself?" he asked.

Ayumu glared at Kousuke and tentatively drank the orange colored liquid. It tasted good no doubt, but it had a hint of alcohol in it. He set down the glass, and his eyebrows began to knit. There was a straw in his glass, and he absentmindedly started to swirl the drink with it.

' … China is our first destination… I wonder if we'll be able to find the Blade Child quickly? We don't even know when the Hunters will attack… maybe they've already gotten the Blade Child… or maybe the Blade Child's on the way to another country to escape… no, I'm overthinking this…'

Ayumu took the glass and sipped it for a few minutes when he realized it was empty.

Kousuke grinned and poured some more of the orange substance into Ayumu's glass. The brunette mumbled a thank you and continued thinking about the Blade Child they were to find and sipped some more on his Long Island.

Ten minutes passed and the table in front of the 3 boys had 5 bottles of liquor on it. Ayumu was thinking on his 3rd glass and was on the way to his 4th, Kousuke was pouring himself some Novellino for the 6th time and Eyes was swirling his 7th.

There was a dull clink as the azure eyed boy set his glass down and leaned back on his chair. He let out a heavy sigh and drifted off into sleep.

Though as he did this, he couldn't help but smirk at Kousuke's words.

"Cheers, you two… we'll have less time for bonding like this from now on…"

_…**a couple of hours later…3:30 pm…**_

"Rutherford-sama, we will be arriving in Beijing in 20 minutes." The voice of the pilot said through the P.A .

Eyes had woken up half an hour ago, and was still accompanied by Kousuke and Ayumu who were still drinking. Though the bottles that had littered the table had already been taken away.

Just as Eyes stood up to do whatever it was that eyes Rutherford does after drinking, Kousuke had whispered to Ayumu, " He looked so deep in sleep, I thought he wouldn't wake up."

_… **Yang Ren Airport… 4:13 pm…**_

" Ahhh… Now, how are we gonna get around this beautiful city of pottery?" Kousuke asked no one in particular, but received a hard bonk on the head from Ryoko afterwards.

Suddenly, a black limousine stopped in front of them.

"Rutherford-san, I'm here to pick you up." The driver said, opening the door.

_As they got in the limo, one thought interrupted Ayumu's constant drivel about the unknown blade Child. ' I am gonna owe him so much money.'_

_… **Zephyr Dragon hotel… 5:29 pm…**_

The gang trooped into the 88-floor luxury hotel, leaving their bags with the bellboys.

Eyes walked over to the counter where a lady in a red uniform was standing. " Ofcourse Rutherford-sama, how many rooms would you like to occupy?"

" …6… no, 7. 7 rooms." Eyes replied and walked towards the door, ignoring Kousuke's voice saying " We traveled for 8 hours (I think) and we're not even gonna take a nap or something!" , ignoring the girls' chatter about the malls that lined the street and ignoring that tiny voice in his head saying…

' You'll regret this and you know it…'

_… **Li An Ni Café… about 20 minutes later…**_

Eyes walked (or more likely cantered) down the streets of Beijing, seeming very sure of his destination.

The others lagged behind him, chatting and giggling to each other in the girls' case.

"Yeah, I heard that there's a new singing sensation here." Ryoko said to Hiyono as Rio looked at the magazine Ryoko had brought along.

" Hontou da you? Wow… I can't believe she's only 14." Hiyono said. " Mhm… they said that she's just a newcomer but she's already blowing the charts- ow! Kousuke what are you-" "Shhh!"

The silver haired Blade Child had stopped in front of a quaint café with the sign ' Good Fortune To All Who Enter'. He entered the café, followed by Ayumu, Rio, Hiyono, Ryoko and a whining Kousuke.

Azure eyes swept around the café, and settled on a brown head poking out of a booth at the very end of the (surprisingly big) café.

He cantered towards it and stopped. The Blade Children had followed suit and when they saw who was sitting on the leather couch…

" Ahhh!" Hiyono screamed.

"Kanone-kun…" Rio mumbled, clinging to Ryoko.

" H-H-Hilbert…" The longhaired brunette said. (i.e. Ryoko)

Kousuke just stared wide-eyed at the brunette and held out an arm in front of Ayumu, who was glaring at the golden-eyed boy.

"Nihao Bla- Chil. Narumi-otouto, Yuizaki-san." He said.

No one answered Kanone's warm greeting, and they all stood in silence as he surveyed them all form his seat.

His golden eyes landed on Eyes and he grinned.

Eyes spared him one glance then turned around, the gang following slowly.

Kanone stood up. " Wait. Aren't you staying?" He asked.

Eyes kept his back on Kanone and said, " The stench of a Hunter is in the air."

Rio gasped and Hiyono bit her lip at this. Ryoko squeezed their hands, as if to say, ' It'll be ok'. Kousuke and Ayumu however, were looking from Eyes to Kanone, as if following a ping-pong match.

"Where is he?" Kanone asked, taking a step towards Eyes. The Blade Children, Ayumu and Hiyono were more or less between them.

Eyes turned around and closed his eyes with a disgusted look on his face.

"Still in denial Hilbert?"

"Eyes, Eyes, Eyes… (chuckles)… If you must know, that part of me has died." He said, and they were now about 2 feet apart.

The silver haired pianist shot him a very piercing look that just bounced off the brunette.

" I pity that you didn't die fully."

Now there was only a foot of space between the 2 and Kanone did something that made the onlookers (Blade Children and Ayumu and Hiyono) gasp out loud.

The brunette kneeled in front of Eyes, and like a knight before a queen asked, " Would you like it if I did?"

Eyes put his hand in his 'magic' pocket and answered.

" No… There's too many people here…"

Kanone licked his lips and looked directly at Eyes. The people were now giving them their undivided attention.

" I won't move, Eyes Rutherford, from this spot until you forgive someone as hateful as me."

"You said it yourself… you are hateful… Then why should I forgive you?" Eyes said, cold rejection punctuating his every word.

"Because…" Kanone pulled out a black gun from his pocket and Kousuke had to almost hit Ayumu in the ribs before he jumped at Hilbert.

"Don't interfere!" The redhead hissed.

"… I'll kill if you don't…"

Eyes shook his head.

" Your killing spree won't win me over, tithead…"

It was Kousuke's turn to gasp. Ayumu blinked. "Was that really the first time he swore?" He asked.

The Blade Children nodded. Kanone looked wary.

" I'll kill you if you don't…" He managed to get his last words out and soon regretted them.

Eyes took the hand with the gun and pointed it directly at his own heart, "Fine."

Kanone stared blankly at Eyes and unconsciously his hand tightened around the gun.

" Very well…" He said.

…

"You do know that this is stupid and people are staring at us?" Eyes asked as a smile graced his lips.

" So?" Kanone asked, finding it very hard to keep his smile.

The smile began to disappear and Eyes looked at Kanone.

"Is your smile finally fading? That's very… strange…"

Kanone frowned and bowed his head.

"… Please forgive me Eyes… Please…"

Seconds seemed like hours to the Blade Children as they watched the scene. Ayumu bit his lip. The silence was deafening.

Eyes shook his head and pulled a very confused Kanone up.

" Trust is easily gained but once it's gone it's very hard to return… Don't break my trust again Kanone…" He said.

Kanone looked at Eyes and without warning, hugged him and let the gun fall to the floor. The girls rushed towards them for a group hug.

Kousuke picked it up and when he looked inside, there wasn't a single bullet. Ayumu smiled and said, " You guys…"

"Yup… us guys…" Kousuke replied, grinning.

"Kanone, let go of me… this is … embarrassing…" Eyes said as people began to stare.

The brunette quickly let go and smiled.

" Well, now that that's settled, I have-"

"Meow!" A cat with milky white fur popped its head out of Kanone's pocket, interrupting the brunette.

Ryoko, Rio and Hiyono stopped short and stared at it.

Kousuke and Ayumu looked at the cat.

It meowed once again and was trying to get out of Kanone's pocket, when Kanone gently pushed it back inside.

"Kanone…" Eyes said looking at the spot of white fur that Kanone's hand had not managed to cover.

"…umm… this is Lucky, everyone. He's my new cat. Say 'hi' to everyone Lucky." Kanone said.

Eyes stared at the cat that was being crowded by the gang and heard that tiny voice speak again. He sighed inwardly.

' You'll regret this and you know it… you know that he'll have another cat with him, you just wait…'

Eyes sighed and looked at Kanone. ' You hardly ever change…' " Are we going to stand here all day?" he asked.

"Well, Let's sit then. I've got some news for you all." Kanone said.

The gang got into Kanone's booth and ordered some drinks. What surprised most of them was what Ayumu ordered. Long Island.

"Narumi-san! You know that that's an alcoholic drink right?" Hiyono asked as the waiter left. The girls had ordered fruit shakes of apple, banana and melon flavors.

Ayumu nodded and sipped on his drink. He was growing fond of it actually. "So… Hilbert-"

"Call me Kanone, please. Just because I tried to kill you a few years ago doesn't mean we can't be friends." The golden eyed brunette said.

Ayumu looked at him and sighed inwardly. ' Insufferable logic… why does it haunt me so?' " Alright, Kanone… what's the news?" he asked.

" If it's about Lucky there, we don't wanna hear it." Ryoko said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"… Very well… since you don't, then I'll just amuse you with this." Kanone turned on the TV, and the face of a young, redheaded girl appeared.

_"Hai, I've just concluded a concert and it was great. I really wanna thank the people who decided to come." The redhead said, smiling at the reporter._

_"Thankyou, Xiao Lun. Ladies and gentlemen, Xiao Lun is a rising star in China today, hitting the charts at the number 1 spot with her debut album, Scattering The Pieces." _

" Is she… ?" Eyes looked at the brunette sitting next to him and he nodded. " Sou. Minna, Kore wa atarashi no Bureido Chaidu. Xiao Lun. The Precog." (Yes. This is the new Blade Child. Xiao Lun. The Precog)

"What do you mean a precog?" Kousuke voiced out what the others were thinking.

"Someone who can see into the future… but, I really can't say that I fully believe in this Kanone." Ayumu said.

"Since when have the Blade Children got powers?" Rio asked.

The others nodded, and looked at Kanone.

"Masaka… Kiyotaka?" (is it… Kiyotaka?) Eyes asked.

Ayumu choked on his Long Island, and Kousuke had to pat him on the back. "C'mon Kanone. Who really found it out?" Kousuke asked, changing the subject.

The girls had stopped drinking and had looked at Ayumu, and Kousuke had almost dropped his drink.

"Where did you get this information then?" Eyes asked.

Kanone turned off the TV and looked at the Blade Children.

"It's just a feeling."

There was silence for a few moments, for the Blade Children were just given some food for thought.

In the past, whenever Kanone had one of his feelings, it usually meant trouble. No one had a better sense of danger than the cat-eyed child and often there were minor accidents whenever he did.

They wondered whether this time, it wouldn't be just a broken bike or a lost jigsaw piece… Maybe it would be something more…

"It's up to you if you want to believe me… but if my information is correct… we'll be in trouble…" Kanone said.

"I understand what you're trying to say, Kanone-san, but right now, why don't we just put it aside and enjoy our trip? After all, if Xiao Lun-san is a Blade Child of Precognition, we should just go on with the trip and let her find us." Hiyono said, putting down her empty glass.

The Blade Children just stared.

Ayumu looked.

"Ehehe, I was trying to be like Narumi-san… ehehe… Doing logic and all…"

Kousuke laughed and held his glass in the air and said.

" Cheers to the Blade Children, and may we have more crazy moments like this, now and forever!"

"Cheers!"

Ten minutes later, the gang followed Hiyono's advice and decided to let Kanone guide them thru the city

_… **Near Neeko-Jin petshop… 6:11pm…**_

_"_Kanone-kun, where are we going?" Rio asked as the brunette lead them across the street.

Eyes was walking beside him, Kousuke and Ayumu were walking behind the 2, and the girls settled for being in the last row.

"Yoshi(alright),we're here!" Kanone declared as they stopped in front of a red, one-story building with a huge, life-sized cat doll to the left of the door.

"Let me guess, this is where you got Lucky?" Ayumu said.

"Correct!" The golden-eyed Blade Child said as they entered the shop.

The walls were lined with cages, and small eyes were looking at the innocent onlookers.

They stopped when they got to a cage with the number 88.

"This is where I got Lucky! You were so alone then weren't you Lucky…" Kanone said as he cuddled the white ball of fur he extracted from his pocket.

Everyone sweatdropped.

Suddenly they heard a scream.

"Rio! What's wrong?" Ryoko asked as she went to check on the silverhaired girl.

"I-I I'm okay… itte!" Rio screamed again, much to the shock of the children and Senior Macaco.

… and that wasn't good.

The gang left in a rush, as Rio ran from Senior Macaco the monkey, yelling: "Get away from me you stupid mon- AHHHHHHHH!"

_… **later… Soi An Cd Store…**_

"It turns out she was listening to Senior Macaco and then she criticized him and then he got mad and started to eat her hair." Kousuke said as they resumed their tour.

"I hope Rio-chan is ok…" Hiyono said as they entered the famous Soi An cd shop.

"Thanks to this shop, I was able to hear Eyes play. Your new album was great by the way." Kanone whispered to Eyes.

"Wow… Hey, They've got Scattering the Pieces!" Ryoko exclaimed and hurriedly ran to the racks, where about 39 fangirls and boys were goggling at the new releases, and was followed by Hiyono.

Kousuke went ot the rock section and Ayumu settled for following the 2 (Kanone and Eyes) around.

"I liked that last piece, Lune Bleue." Kanone whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Eyes nodded and stopped. "What's the matter?" Kanone asked.

"If my album's here then…"

_**…tiny flashback…**_

_"Rutherford-san," said the lady at the hotel's front desk, "Your new album's such a success! Your fans here in Beijing would kill for it, and for a glimpse of you? Goodness, what would they do!"_

_**…end tiny flashback…**_

_'If that's' the case then…' Eyes's eyes widened. It finally dawned on him._

"Hey, Rutherford, ummm…." Great, now Little Narumi was hesitating. Eyes turned around to see at least 40 girls and boys (all of them presumably his fans) staring at him.

"Kanone…" He whispered.

"Yes Eyes?"

"We should run."

"Right."

" EYES RUTHERFORD!"

The crowd went wild.

The store shook.

Kanone handed Ayumu a pair of black shades and put on a pair for himself.

Ryoko and Hiyono were with them in a heartbeat.

"Kousuke's been slapped by 10 women and 2 men for saying they looked like his aunt's dead blue ferret." She mumbled quickly, taking a pair of shades herself.

Kanone turned to Eyes who was stockstill. "I do not want to be mobbed." His expression said.

"Eyes Rutherford, we are your entourage."

And they ran for it.

Kanone led the way, carrying Eyes in bridal style, throught the back door and across the street, the deranged fangirls and boys in their wake.

Kousuke joined up with them and they broke into a sprint.

They turned into a dark alley, and let the fans run onwards.

"Are… we… safe… ?" Kousuke asked.

"Yeah, we are…"Kanone said, and took a deep breath.

"Eh-ehm." Ayumu coughed. Kanone looked at him. "What?"

Ryoko pointed at Kanone's arms. Hiyono giggled.

"Put me down." The silver haired boy said. He glared. Kanone put him back on his feet. " Alright, let's resume the tour!"

After making sure the coast was clear, they headed for Bird Street (China's own Bird Street) without further ado.

Ryoko had won 2 figurines in a "Spot-the-yellow-speckled-blue-bird-contest" and Hiyono found Rio hiding behind a sack of birdfood. Together, they set out to find Madoka the perfect souvenir.

Eyes and Kanone were still talking with each other and on the way to Ki Gon Street, Kousuke had to pull Ayumu away from a drinking contest.

Hiyono, Rio and Ryoko ram through the street like whirlwinds, and finally found a suitable present for Madoka.

" Well, it's late, we should get back to the hotel." Ayumu said. The gang nodded and- "Well, see you guys tomorrow then." Kanone said, smiling a bit.

"Let's go." Eyes said, ushering the gang forward. He looked back at the golden-eyed Blade Child who was petting Lucky.

"Aren't you coming?" He asked.

"What?"

"I reserved another room for you…" Eyes said, looking away.

"Arigatou, Eyes. Arigatou."

_… **Zephyr Dragon hotel… 8:25 pm…Eyes' room**_

After wishing everyone a goodnight, Kanone located Eyes' room and tentatively knocked on it. It wasn't locked.

He decided to go in anyway, and when he did, Eyes was sitting on a plush, velvet chair reading something. An invitation

_Dear Eyes Rutherford_

_You are cordially invited to the opening party of Jade Dragon Opera House_

_As requested by Sir Rundent Adolf and Miss Xiao Lun._

_It is to be held at the said venue at 8 o'clock sharp on the night of April the 14th_

_China's Musical Society_

"A party huh?" Kanone said, looking over the pianist's shoulder.

Eyes placed the invitation back on the table and looked at Kanone, who had straightened up behind the chair.

"You really like my piece?" he asked.

"Sou." The brunette replied, and started to hum a soft melody.

Eyes smiled. "Thankyou."

"You're welcome." Kanone said, and walked around the chair so as to face the blue eyed teen.

"Your hair's so long already." He said, as he eyed the waist long cascade of silver hang limply.

"Well, I better go…" he said and bent over Eyes. "Goodnight Eyes." He whispered and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Kanone stood and closed the door.

Eyes looked at the door and smiled. Goodnight Kanone.

_… **at the night of the opening party… Jade Dragon Opera house… 8: 30 pm…**_

_"_Ofcourse, yes,yes! Well Eyes here comes Ms. Lun. I shall leave you now, enjoy the party!" Rundent Adolf said and walked away to tend to the other guests.

A redheaded Chinese girl was walking towards him with a short, fat and not to mention terribly ugly manager. (Ra, save Eyes from this horrid witch)

"Go-od Eve-ning The witch-er-woman said.

"Jo Tou Rutherford-nii. Ni Jin Wan Hao Ma? (goodevening how are you tonight?) Xiao Lun said with a bow.

"Jo Tou. I'm fine, thankyou." Eyes said, shaking hands with the girl. "Do you mind if we talk for a minute?" He asked the woman, Li Su, who simpered and said.

"Oh, but would you rather dance with me than this blister?"

Xiao Lun stuck her tounge out at her from behind.

"No." Eyes replied. Li Su snorted and left the 2 alone.

"What did you want to talk about Rutherford-nii?" Lun asked and then smiled brightly.

"Thankyou for getting away form my manager Rtuherford-nii."

"Yeah. I have to tell you something…" Eyes began but Lun cut him off.

"Me too! You see, I had this dream. And you were in it! There was a tall brunette too, with a weird smile, a girl with silvery hair carrying a melon, a guy with red spikey hair who wore glasses and he was talking to a guy with chocolate brown hair who seemed to be looking for something and a weird blonde lady humming a strange song."

Eyes stared.

"So, the thing to tell?"

" It's about you, me and the Blade Children."

_…**Zephyr Dragon Hotel… Kanone's room…**_

" Quit laughing already!" Kousuke whined.

"B-but you just asked f-for a-a-a b-b-bottle o-o-of o-o-octopus j-juice! Ahahahahaahahahaha…"Kanone fell back on his bed laughing.

The others were laughing as well, and Kousuke fumed.

"But that's what the book said!" he cried defensively.

The gang laughed harder.

" Yeah right. And the moon is made of green, chocolate covered ants who loved broccoli." Ryoko said.

_… **back at the party…**_

"A trip around the world to look for the other Blade Children? It sounds fun!" Lun cried.

"Sou. The decision is up to you if you want to go or not."

"Ofcourse I'll come! Hahaue and Chichiue both died when I was small, and Li Su-onii is a pig! Right! I'll come with you!" Lun chirruped.

"Don't worry. From now on, the Blade Children will be your family." Eyes said and smiled.

Lun returned the smile with her own and said,

"I'd like that… I'd like that a lot… Eyes-nii-chan…"

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OWARI

Freya: finally! It's finished! With a new character to boot!

Asano: well, watch out for the next chapter when things start to get exciting.

Freya: that's right! Now, Lun, how does it feel like to be in Spiral?

Lun: It's great! … who are you?

Freya: well that's the end of the chapter, watch out folks, more mysteries will ensue in Spiral 2 chain of fate!

_The melody of reasoning will always play out the truth._


	6. move of the black hand

_Freya: hey folks! Thanks for reviewing and all…_

_Asano: anyway, this chappie may be short, we don't know…_

_Warning: … rain in summer… blood on the most unexpected things… cats running loose…wasting electricity… and the proof that technology is absolite,sometimes_

_Disclaimer: but soft, what light through yonder glass case breaks? 'tis Spiral… owned by Kyou Shirodaira… damn…_

_Freya: oh yeah, now I'll be adding morals to the end of the chapters, just to have some fun!_

**Move Of The Black Hand**

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… _**Zephyr Dragon Hotel… Lounge… 8:47 am…Ayumu's pov**_

" _Searching for new world hito wa minna afureru yume o tsukamu tame…"_

We were at the hotel's lounge room, poring over the map and trying to figure out which country we'd be visiting next when our new found Blade Child, Xiao Lun, decided that it was far too quiet.

She began to sing.

It was a nice song, and the girls immediately sat around her.

I was looking at her when a light bulb went on in my mind. One with the name 'media'.

"Hey guys…" I began. Kanone was drinking coffee and was glancing at the map, Eyes was just sitting in his chair stoic as always, and Kousuke was polishing his 80's inspired orange-tinted glasses.

"Nani?" the redhead asked.

" Shouldn't we cover up Lun? I mean, I don't want the Soi An accident to happen again…" I grinned at Eyes who glared back.

Kanone put down his mug and looked at me. It was kinda creepy since I couldn't see what his expression was… since when have I been afraid of that anyway?

" You know that's not a bad point… when we move from country to country we need to be careful… 2 popular people would attract far too much attention…" He said and smiled at Eyes.

"Rutherford-sama." The lady at the front desk walked over to us holding a white box.

"This parcel is for you sir. Good day then." She said and walked away.

We huddled around the box and the girls joined us.

"Narumi-san, naniyou?" Yuizaki asked. "Shiranai. Hey, Rutherford, open it."

Eyes set the parcel on top of the map and slowly lifted off the cover.

We gasped.

Inside the pure white box, were 8 pure white roses. What was there to gasp about you say? Well, the pure white roses… were bloodied.

The sight seemed to un-nerve Lun, as we all noticed.

"Lun-chan, doushitano?" Rio asked as the redheaded girl began to tremble.

"… Kono hana o… Eyes-nii, these flowers… I've seen them…" She said. We all knew what she meant.

"What else did you see Lun?" I asked.

"… yami o… darkness… that was all I saw…" Lun looked down on the bouquet. I could tell she was worried.

"Hey., there's a card!" Kousuke proclaimed.

He carefully plucked it from the thorned roses (yes,they were thorned) and read it.

"_**Your doom will start now Blade Children and Narumi… Welcome to China"**_

"Chikusho…" Kousuke swore, I looked back at the card, the roses and the girl who could see the future. I sighed. This was going to be along summer.

"Everyone be careful… Be on your guard… Stay alert…" Kanone said, looking around at the us. A lump rose in my throat.

Suddenly, Kousuke grinned.

"And remember kids, this is all in the spirit of good, gunslinging fun."

Idiot.

… _**10 : 54 am… lunch time… lounge thingy once again…**_

"So, after China, our next destination will be Thailand…" Kanone, Kousuke, Eyes and I were huddled around the table, poring over the map as the brunette explained our course.

After I nodded to Kanone about our next destination,

I saw Eyes' eyes drooping and apparently Kanone did too.

" Eyes, why don't you go up and take a nap. You look tired." He said.

Eyes nodded and left, Kanone's gaze on his back as he did so.

"Hey dudes, how do you say ' I want some more food' in Thailand-ese again?" Kousuke asked.

I sighed and looked back at the map. Idiot.

… _**11 : 58 am… Eyes' room…normal pov**_

The blue-eyed pianist stirred form his thankfully nightmare-free nap. He sat up slowly and yawned.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized he'd been out for an hour.

'They must be done planning by now…' he thought and was about to walk out of his room when…

**RING-RING-RING!**

A shrill ringing sound interrupted him. The silverhaired teen picked up the phone and before he could say a word, someone spoke.

" Eyes Rutherford." The stranger said.

"Dareka anata o?" (Who are you?) he asked.

"Knowledge will be given to those who are able to look for it, child."

"Omae wa…Hunter?" (Are you…a Hunter?) Eyes asked, gripping the phone.

"Hm, be still child. If you want to know who I am and what I intend to do, meet me at An Xi's tea shop in 30 minutes. Come alone child."

And after that puzzling last word, the phone line went dead and was quickly slammed back down.

…_**lounge thingy again…**_

The Blade Children, in the face of invisible danger….

Were either taking a nap in their own room (Kanone), eating lunch (Ayumu, Rio, Lun, Hiyono) or arguing (Ryoko, Kousuke).

Eyes walked in on this scene and sighed inwardly._ Be alert, my foot._

Ayumu noticed the silverhaired Blade Child just standing there and called out to him.

"Hey, Eyes, why don't you come here and eat something?" the chocolatehaired boy said.

Eyes shook his head, mumbled " I'm going out" and walked out of the hotel just as Hiyono dragged Ayumu and the others to a game of twister.

_At least, _he thought as he walked towards his destination, _I'm lucky, if only for now._

… _**An Xi's tea shop…**_

Eyes eyed the teashop suspiciously. It didn't seem dangerous but he had to be careful. He started to walk towards the shop again.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into a dark alley.

There was a split second wherein he could have thrown this person back, but his body didn't seem to want to move at all.

He felt the hand that grabbed his arm loosen and he was about to look into his captor's face when he felt the air leave his body and he fell to the ground.

And the last thing he saw, as he drifted off into sleep… where a pair of golden-yellow eyes…

…_**somewhere else… again…**_

"Sir." A female voice said.

"Yes Estelle?" the dark figure sitting in the big black chair said.

"He's returned sir, and he's captured a Blade Child." Estelle said.

"Good… remind me to thank him… now, statistics."

"Sir. The captive's name is Eyes Rutherford. 19 years old. Basically he is one of the foundations of the Blade Children."

"Well done… send him to The Doctor will you? Finally, we can start the project."

"Yes Sir."

"Oh, and don't forget to send them a note Estelle."

"Sir." Estelle said and disappeared.

… _**Zephyr Dragon Hotel… 7:56 pm… Kanone's room**_

"Mou… where are you Eyes-kun?..." Rio said as she looked out of the big window.

The city of Shanghai looked oddly beautiful in the summer rain… the neon lights were diluted and everything seemed peaceful…

Yeah right.

"Tadaima…" Kousuke opened the door, soaking wet and cradling Lucky.

Ayumu went over to him and gave him a towel. Kanone took Lucky and looked at the redhead.

"Well?" he asked.

"No luck… I couldn't find him… Kanone, don't worry, I mean he could just be walking around or maybe he's at a party or… or… or…" Kousuke smiled nervously at the brunette.

Ayumu sighed… and then, the doorbell rang.

"Hey Rio, I think your prayers have been answered." He said and opened the door. There was no one there…

"Um… what's this?" Kousuke picked up a small envelope on the floor and walked towards the sitting area where most of the girls were.

Kanone took the envelope and opened it. There was a letter inside…

He read, "_ **Blade Children, we have one of your comrades… if you want to see Eyes Rutherford again, come back to Japan where we'll be waiting.BH.**" _

For a long moment, there was silence.

This was certainly unexpected… surreal… impossible… and so worthy of vengeance.

"Kousuke." Kanone looked at the forestgreen eyed Blade Child. "Nani?"

"I know I'm not supposed to use it, but who cares. Break out the Panorama." There was a murmur of something after Kousuke pulled out a laptop from beneath Kanone's pillow.

"Chotto, what's the Panorama?" Ayumu asked after he set Hiyono off to search for the codename BH.

To his surprise, Kanone grinned.

"Eyes told me not to use it anymore but it's a tracking system I developed to look in on what's going on in the world of CCTV monitors. I had predicted the upshot of the CCTV before and I'm glad it came true… almost everywhere there's a CCTV and almost everywhere is where I will be."

Ayumu looked at the golden-eyed Blade Child. Wow.

"Oi Kanone, I've focused it here in Shanghai. Give me an exact radius." Kousuke said from behind a laptop.

"50 km from Jade Dragon,45 from Zephyr Dragon, 35 from Soi An. Rio, activate the defense system you pulled up here. Narumi-otouto, have you found it yet?" Kanone said.

"Ryoukai." Kousuke said, and began to type furiously again.

"Hai!" Rio said, whipping out a palmtop computer. "Perimeter secured Kanone-kun."

"Iie. Yuizaki, try to access the Shanhai records Lvl.9 and 10." Ayumu said as he jammed his hands into his pockets and his eyebrows began to knit.

Kanone glared outside the window, thinking _' Naze da? Why didn't he tell me he was going out?'_

Ryoko was already comforting a crying Rio when Lun gazed out to the city.

'_Eyes-nii… please be safe…' _She didn't like what she saw… and she would tell no one…

… _**s.e.a. … somewhere else again…**_

"Well Estelle?" the voice asked as Estelle walked in.

"The experiment went perfectly Sir." Estelle replied.

"Side effects?"

"None sir… though The Doctor said that the 7th rib has proved to be more of a blessing than a curse."

"I see… He'll know what to do with that. See to it he's ready for travel. We're going to Japan."

"Yes sir."

' I will soon have your heads, Blade Children…' the figure thought.

"Sir, how about…"

"Never mind that. His power isn't enough for the panorama."

… _**Kanone's room…**_

"Nani?" Kanoneshouted.

"Panorama's being invaded!" Kousuke said. " I can't flush out the virus and it's spreading… the calculation's being messed up and the OS isn't comprehending to any command."

"The Codebreaker system…"Kanone said, narrowing his eyes.

"Kanone, it's the Hunters." Ayumu said as Hiyono closed her laptop.

"Pack everybody. We're going back to Japan."

**OWARI**

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Freya: aww, Eyes has been kidnapped!

Kanone: and the moral of today's escapade is "_Never follow the magical creature that tries to lead you back home when you already are home."_

Asano: what kind of moral is that?

Kanone: the kind I get from Lucky's colar.

Freya: well, see you next chappie folks!

" _**I believe in my own strength and power. I am not afraid of someone who runs away."**_


	7. relinquished

_Freya: Ok folks, since we have a new character, I'll leave Lun-_

_Lun: Konnichiwa minna!_

_Freya: And Kousuke-_

_Kousuke: Yo._

_Freya: -our Lucky Pair to do the jobs around here! So, see you! (walks out of the room and slams the door)_

_Lun: Ano, Kousuke-nii, what are we supposed to do?_

_Kousuke: Alright, first off, **the disclaimer**. Look, if she owned Spiral, I'm sure that it would be broadcasted world wide… and Kazuya Arsashi'll make sure someone worthy will dub us…_

_Lun: Ehm, now for **the warnings**! Let's see… flashbacks… Dexter's Laboratory… Panorama… Early awakenings… Kawaii no Neeko-ningyo no Suiri… soshite… appearances of the-_

_Kousuke: ok, we're not allowed to say that… so, read on, all who dare to click on this fic, read on to find out the destiny of those who live in the world of Spiral 2 Chain of Fate!_

_Lun: sugoi desu, Kousuke-nii! (claps)_

_Kousuke: Hm._

_Lun: Demo… what's the title for today?_

_Kousuke: oh, I almost forgot… (grins) it's…_

_**Relinquished**_

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… _**Somewhere Else Again… S.E.A. …**_

A blonde watched as the hooded figure walked out of the door. There was silence when he was there and silence when he wasn't. It seemed like nothing changed whether that person was there or not…

The blonde stood up from the chair he was sitting on and looked at the door once more. Whatever he said, he was going.

And nothing could stop it.

And then, as the blonde walked out of the silent room, he looked back at the door. He grinned.

" _Be careful child…"_

… _**Eyes' plane… erm… 4:13 am…**_

"Dammit!" Kousuke cursed, still typing furiously on his laptop. He had been trying to re-start Panorama but he couldn't.

Ayumu glared at him and hissed, "Shhh! They're sleeping…" his supposed annoyed comment ended up in a yawn and he covered his mouth as it dragged on.

'I must be really sleepy…' the chocolate-brown haired boy thought.

Kousuke's face softened as he watched him yawn. "You should sleep, we'll be back in Japan in a few hours…" he said and pushed up his clear glasses.

Someone else was awake, someone who was sitting across the redhead and had a full view of the pacing brunette.

Kanone Hilbert.

He held a mug in his hand, his eyes staring off into the distance. One would think that he was daydreaming, but he wasn't.

This golden-eyed brunette was deep in thought. So deep in thought that he didn't notice that his mug was empty. So very deep in thought… what thoughts you ask?

His thoughts ran around one single thing… no, one single human being… still no…one single person… Eyes Rutherford… where he was… what he was doing… and the most agitating of them all, what were the Hunters doing to him…

He gripped his mug rather hard, and he glared at a spot on the wall.

Ayumu looked at the older brunette and sighed. It seemed like he wasn't getting anything either.

So the brown-eyed boy sat down next to the older redhead and glanced at the laptop. Frowny-catface again.

Kousuke sighed. "I've rerouted the system… tried flushing out the past data… probably broken the security system's calculations… and still the OS isn't responding!" he threw his arms into the air and sighed.

"Kanone," Ayumu said, dropping his gaze to the floor,

"… What are we going to do now?"

…_**on the other side of the plane where the girls are "sleeping"…**_

Ryoko's hair did not bother her. It was the much longer hair of another person who was lying beside her. Rio.

"Rio…"She hissed, low enough that only the silver-haired girl could hear. "Naniyou Ryoko-chan?" Rio said in the same low voice.

"Your hair!"

Suddenly there was a rustle of movement and 2 heads were poking out from the seats behind them.

Hiyono and Lun.

Since it was a private jet, the seats were close together so that the occupants could just lean back to chat with their companions. At least, that was the way the girls viewed it.

"Ryoko-nee-chan, we can't sleep…" Lun said, while her companion nodded. "Ryoko-chan, they're still not sleeping are they?"

The brunette nodded. When 10:30 came the girls were ready for bed and were about to sleep when they noticed that the 3 men were still at the bar, concentrating on their own thoughts. A.k.a, where was Eyes.

And now, at 4:16 am, they were still awake.

"… Ryoko-chan, I'm worried…" Rio mumbled, almost inaudibly since she was mostly under the covers.

"Don't worry Rio-nee-chan, I'm sure Eyes-nii-chan is fine…" Lun said, pushing a lock of her red hair away.

"Iie, it's not that… I'm positive that Eyes-kun is fine… I'm worried about…" The silver-haired Blade Child went deeper into her covers, leaving Ryoko to finish her sentence.

"Kanone."

Hiyono pouted. "Doushite? Kanone-kun is a very strong person, I'm sure he can handle this."

"No, it's not that… it's just that…" _Time is folly to those who do not cherish it._ Ryoko bit her lip thinking of those words.

"We're supposed to die…"

…_**somewhere else again... fine, it's Hunters HQ…**_

The strong smell of Earl Grey filled the so-called lounge of the Hunter's HQ. 2 people were seated across each other, one drinking from a gold-lined tea cup and the other polishing the handle of a Medusa revolver.

These 2 men were Hunters.

"…Dahling, did he leave already?" the older of the 2, a tall blonde asked, looking at the black haired boy.

"Yeah, I watched him go. The plan is in motion there's nothing we can do. Hoorah." The boy said without much enthusiasm.

"I see…" the blonde replied and poured himself some more tea.

"Why do you drink that stuff anyway?" the boy finally asked, as the smell threatened to suffocate him.

"Well dahling, we English people simply love tea…"

"And we modern people simply hate it." The boy replied.

The blonde stood up, crossed the table and leaned over the boy. "Are you sure about that?"

The blonde was dangerously close but the boy simply nodded, stood up and walked towards the door.

"Oh and dahling before you go, Blue-eyes needs a bomb." The blonde said.

"Ill give it to him."

… _**to the plane… 4:24 am…**_

"It was 13 years ago that Kanone found out what we were… typically, Kousuke made something out of it and we got a bit of a scolding… but all in all, we found out…" Ryoko said, staring at the plush carpet floor.

"Nee-chan, onegai… please tell us… bokutachi wa… nani? (Big Sister, please… please tell us… what are we?) Lun asked.

Unexpectedly, Ryoko laughed. "Ok Rio, check on those idiots while I tell these two the tale of the blue babies."

Rio jumped to her feet, fell over, stood up again and ran towards the other side of the jet.

Hiyono looked at Ryoko,who was still grinning. Lun was confused.

"Blue babies?" they chorused.

"Yep, it's the tale of the Blue Babies form now on."

… _**to the other side of the jet… aka, Info Gathering Central…**_

"Rio, shouldn't you be asleep? And the others too… you don't have to stay awake all night…" Kanone said, patting the small girl's head.

Rio pouted. "Demou… Kanone-kun, you've reached that age, haven't you?" Rio said, fingering her pajama top.

"Uh, 21? Yeah, and so has our sleeping friend over there." Kanone replied, gesturing to Kousuke, who had fallen asleep with Ayumu's head on his shoulder.

"… Blue babies.."

Kanone grinned. That term…

"Ofcourse, I could be wrong.."

… _**flashback… 13 years ago… cabin in the forest near the sea…**_

"Kousuke, stop trying to take Rio's bottle, it's not yours!" a 7-year-old Ryoko said, sitting on an 8-year-old Kousuke.

"Fine! Fine! Get offa me Ryoko! You're heavy!" Kousuke yelled, trying to get away form the brunette.

"Settle down, settle, down… what with the storm and you arguing, how am I gonna tell you what I found out?" Kanone said, sitting on the couch with a 6-year-old Eyes.

"What did you want to tell us anyway?" the silver-haired boy asked quietly.

8-year-old Kanone Hilbert pulled several sheets of paper from his backpack, as everyone gathered around the couch.

Kousuke, Ryoko, and 5-year-old Rio. Blade Children form the day they were born till the day they die.

Kanone soon began to talk of scientists (Sweltzer, Kaname, Rusion, etc), laboratories open in the dead of night, proto-types, and finally blue babies.

They stared at him. Unblinking chibi eyes. All staring at him.

"… what? I thought you'd be excited or something…" Kanone's head went down and he pouted.

"…you mean like that Dexter's Laboratory or something?" Rio asked.

"Dude, I can't be a blue baby! I wanna be a GREEN baby! Eyes could be the blue baby, Ryoko could be the yellow baby and Rio's the orange baby, Kanone you're the red baby and-"

Ryoko's sneaker cut him off, being stuck in his mouth now and all. "so… Artificial?"

Kanone nodded. "We're not really humans… and unlike humans, we have a set date for extinction. A set time and age. Probably it will be around 13 years form now, when I'm 21…" the brunette said, looking out the window.

"If that time comes… what will we do?" Eyes asked. He looked at the golden-eyed boy.

"… I don't know." The storm was so strong.

"What if we fight? What will happen?" Kousuke asked,finally removing the sneaker.

"… I don't know." The trees were falling, submitting to greater power.

"But… what if we lose?" Ryoko asked. The greater power.

"Are you really sure Kanone?" Rio tugged on his sleeve, hugging a stuffed rabbit.

The stronger power…

… will cause all to submit…

… no matter what…

The stronger power will prevail…

… but…

_Wisdom, courage and luck._

… everything can bend to chance…

"Kanone?"

The brunette sighed. He grinned.

"Ofcourse, I could be wrong."

…_**end flashback…Narumi Apartment…4:38 am…**_

Madoka Narumi had been sleeping soundly in her room since 9:30 pm. No one was there to cook for her so she often went out to dinner and probably saki.

She was deep in dreamland when the door bell rang. It was like an annoying buzzing sound to her so she groggily stood up and walked towards the door.

"Ohayou-gozaimasu, Narumi residence how can I help you?"

"Do you have lodging for about 4 experienced killers, 1 singing sensation, 1 reporter and 1 detective by the name of…"

"Ayumu-kun!"

"Actually lady, it's Narumi-otouto since my company insists on it, but who cares?"

…_**uhmmm… approximately 4 and a half hours later…**_

The smell of hot coffee and pancakes filled the air in the apartment, so did 7 extra people.

"What happened? I've heard of 80 days around the world but that's nothing compared to this!" Madoka exclaimed.

"We had a detour… Kousuke stop that… we just picked Lun up from China… Kousuke, stop that!... yeah,she's the famous singer- Kousuke-STOP-that!" Ayumu exclaimed as the red-head tried to sneak to his laptop.

"Aww,c'mon!"

"Wait, a detour? How come?" Madoka asked.

Kousuke stopped struggling against Ayumu's grip. Ryoko and the other girls stopped watching the video and turned off the TV.

"…Eyes…" Kanone mumbled.

"Nani?"

"…Eyes… got captured by the Hunters…" Kousuke said.

Rio started shaking and soon burst into tears, Hiyono was sobbing with Lun, Ryoko bit her lip and Kousuke had punched the counter.

Madoka gasped and looked at Ayumu. She put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Nee-chan…"

Kanone stood up and looked outside the window to the bright morning sun.

"…We'll get him back…even if it's the last thing we do…"

…_**the next day…note, Lun is staying with Hiyono… Kousuke, Ryoko and Rio in dorms… Kanone in the hotel…6:00am**_

RING-RING-RING

The alarm clock rang/sounded, 6 am on the dot.

'…I forgot to reset it…' Ayumu Narumi thought as he stretched and silenced the irritable ringing.

RING-RING-RING

'what the?' he thought. He looked around and found his cellphone wedged beneath his backpack. He picked it up and yawned.

"Narumi Ayumu speaking, dareka?(Who are you?)" he mumbled.

"Dude, it's me!" Kousuke's voice shouted.

"… Asazuki… it's 6 am… my biological clock is still set on modern-"

"Eyes! He's here! At my place! Dorm, room, whatever!"

"What!"

"He's here! Alive, well, a little weird, but that's fine!"

Ayumu's heart thudded. Eyes was safe. He hurriedly put on a green t-shirt and strained to put on a pair of pants.

"I'm coming over. Call the others. Alert Kanone." He commanded the redhead.

"Ryoukai!"

…_**Kousuke's dorm room… 7:30 am…**_

"Eyes! What happened to you!" Kanone ran towards the siulverhaired pianist and almost hugged him. He settled for sitting beside him.

"…let's see… Adolf asked for help in a concert and I agreed… you left me in China." Eyes stated coldly.

Everyone was staring at him. They didn't think of that. A logical explanation that was in plain view.

Kousuke looked at the brunette beside him.

"Are you sure you're Narumi-otouto?"

Ayumu glared at him. "That's my name don't wear it out… anyway, we worried for nothing, we went back here for nothing, we stopped the search for nothing and the almighty Panorama was used for absolutely nothing."

The girls giggled at this and soon started chatting about which country they would visit next.

"Panorama?" Eyes queried. Everyone looked at him. Then at Kanone. Kousuke raised his hand.

"He did it." He said and pointed at Kanone.

"Hey! You were all happy about the idea before!" Kanone said as the Blade Children backed away slowly.

"Kanone." Eyes' cold blue eyes were boring into his back.

"uh, yes?" he laughed nervously and sweatdropped. _Oh boy Oh boy Oh boy Oh boy Oh boy._

"What's all this about the Panorama running?"

It was as if they were witnessing an execution. Kousuke would've asked for popcorn except for the fact that Ayumu was currently stuffing a pillow in his mouth.

"… well… you see… we were… I was… and then… I kind of… then they… and I … then we… then i… well… I… eh… uh… ehrm…" Kanone sighed and took out the cat puppet he used to have. And apparently, still does.

He manipulated the puppet so that it acted out what happened. First, the puppet was shocked, then a lightbulb popped over its head and he pulled out a mini laptopand typed on it. Finally, it cried and went back to Kanone's pocket.

"So there. That is what happened."

…_**Ayumu POV…**_

Kanone was being told off. I sighed and pulled Kousuke with me to the hall, normally this behavior would be noticed but since the great Kanone Hilbert is being reprimanded of ever using the Panorama ever again, everyone was watching.

"What? I was watching dude."

Why do I have this feeling that something's wrong? Shouldn't I be happy that Eyes is back? Why do I have-

"Dude? Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuddddddddddddddeeeeeeeeeee?are you there? Hellooooooooo…" Kousuke was waving his hand infront of my face I grabbed it and sighed. Thinking will have to be done later.

"What is it?"

"Kousuke, teach me how to operate the Panorama."

… _**to the scolding of Kanone Hilbert…**_

"… but how about the letter?" Rio finally spoke up, and Kanone let out a sigh of relief.

"What letter?" Eyes asked.

Ryoko handed him the letter and his blue eyes scanned it quickly.

"… There might still be a catch…" the brunette said, looking at Eyes.

".. Either way, we should stick together."

"Yoshi! Now, we can celebrate for having Eyes-kun back!" Hiyono shouted and the girls nodded in assent.

"PARTY!"

…_**OVER THE NEXT 2 DAYS…don't worry, they'll still be traveling…at Kanone's Hotelroom…**_

It was so unfair.

Eyes had gone to a concert.

It was raining mercilessly on a summer day.

Eyes had gone to a concert.

He had nothing to do.

Eyes had gone to a concert.

And to top it all of, Eyes had gone to a concert. Without him. _He said he'd back soon._ But still!._ He said so didn't he? And you trust him right? _Yeah,yeah…

Kanone Hilbert sighed. Lucky purred and jumped on his lap. He directed his thoughts to something else. That weird phone call.

… _**a couple of minutes ago…**_

"_Hello?" Kanone picked up the phone trying his best to sound indifferent if it was Eyes._

"_Iris means the fortune of the believers, the yellow carnation means forgiveness, the wisteria means wisdom… Ve rhil bterus saraprikaen."_

_CLICK!_

"_Hello? Hello? … Who was that?"_

…_**back to the present… **_

"Say, Lucky, who do you think that was?" Kanone asked the big ball of white fluff on his lap.

Said fluff purred and meowed.

"yeah, maybe it was just a prank… but where did Kousuke learn that language?"

DING-DONG-DING-DONG

"Alright, coming!" the golden-eyed boy said and stood up. Lucky followed him to the door which opened to none other than…

"… Come in…"

… _**next day… ha! You will never know who that was!...**_

Kanone groaned and sat up on his bed. _Urgh… what the hell happened? _He thought. He finally noticed his _wardrobe malfunction_ and grabbed a bathrobe from the bathroom.

"What happened?..." suddenly, a nauseating feeling overtook him and he slammed the door shut.

Lucky stared intently at the bathroom door.

Finally, after emptying his suddenly full stomach Kanone came out. He plopped down on his bed, grabbed his cellphone and dialed.

"Hello? Kousuke, I don't feel so good…"

…_**later… after everyone got there…**_

"(yawn) what happened to ya Kanone? (yawn)" Kousuke, who had been dragged by Ayumu to the hotel, yawned again.

The girls were in the kitchen, making breakfast. (A/N: look, I don't mean to degrade them ok?)

"Well, from the looks of it, anoxemia,and a fever rising to a dangerously high level." Ayumu said, taking his hand away from the brunette's forehead.

"I'd better call the hospital, to let them know we've got a detective/doctor here." Kousuke said and smirked, holding up his cellphone.

Ayumu glared at him but before he could open his mouth the cellphone rang.

"Did you…"

"Hello?" Kousuke waved for silence and listened intently to who the hell called him in the middle of his joke.

"Hello Blade Child, did you find my surprise?"

He almost choked.

He almost gagged.

He almost did something to constrict his breathing.

It was Eyes.

"Eyes? Where the hell are you? Kanone's sick!"

Eyes let out a cruel laugh before answering.

"I know, don't you like it?"

Kousuke shook his head. "You're joking right? Very funny Rutherford!"

"If you still consider this a joke, precious Kanone will die in a number of hours… or would you like to see yourself explode along with that very building?"

"Quit it! Stop joking Eyes!"

"Kousuke?" Ayumu walked over to the redhead.

"Open your eyes Blade Child. Now will you follow a deal? A little gamble for precious Kanone's life? Because if you will, I'll gladly play with you… or are you scared?"

Kousuke's eyes snapped shut and he almost dropped the phone, Ayumu caught it just in time.

"Hello? Eyes"

"Why, Narumi-otouto… I guess that Blade Child didn't have the strength to hold on…_"_

"Eyes?... tell me how we can save Kanone." _He was afraid this would happen. Why?why?why?why now?_

"Meet me at the abandoned warehouse at the right of the one you almost died in… I'll give you the antidote there."

CLICK!

Hiyono entered with a tray laden with food. She looked at the 2 who were shaking.

"What's wrong Narumi-san?"

"Eyes… betrayed us…" Kousuke said.

"…He betrayed us…"

**OWARI**

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FREYA: that was a pretty long one… hehehe…

Asano: not much say.

Freya: review!

Ayumu: moral for the chapter : _when you're riding a bike and you fall, get up. Look at it. And curse it like there's no tomorrow. No bike can disobey your command. _That was pointless.

Freya: I know.

See ya!


	8. verraten

_Freya: (crying) man, someone actually REVIEWED! I am so happy…_

_Kousuke: aw, stop being so sappy… you got a lot to do today remember? So hurry up!_

_Freya:… oh yeah… ok, so uhm, aside form the review reply and usual warnings and disclaimers, I will introduce to you our 2 newest characters… _

_**Disclaimer: **Freya: yeah, yeah… I don't own Spiral… awesome guys not mine… stop rubbing it in!_

_Freya: ok, here are our 2 new characters! Presenting Ray Inoue!_

Name: Ray Inoue

Age: 27 (?)

Gender: male… but ,man is he a feminist!

Occupation: doctor, Hunter… and uhm, a 'handler' if you please…

Tell-tale symbol/phrase: "Oh (insert name here)-dahling! You look absolutely (insert positive compliment here)!"

Freya's notes: ok, Ray is about as normal as me. Gee, that explains a lot doesn't it? I can't say much about it, but this I may gave you… Ray is a feminist, an English man, he wears glasses and dear lord, he is a complex person.

Name:… I cannot give you his name yet…

Age: 17 (now get a clue from that)

Gender: Male

Occupation: … does the word marksman ring a bell?

Freya's notes: this person should not be introduced yet, but I am giving you the opportunity to know his favorite saying…

"… _Sae' dehm… dozor… onis…"_

_**Warning:** Freya: what do you expect now? Eyes has betrayed them, we got 2 new characters and hell, Kanone's gonna die in 3 hours! … lack of props… and an annoying Kanone...my loss of sense of direction..._

_Kousuke: well now, the title for this chappie?_

_Freya:… (smiles)_

_**Verraten**_

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"… betrayed… us… ?"

Time seemed to stand still as the Blade Children tried to grasp the utterly disturbing conversation that was relayed to them by Hiyono.

Ryoko leaned against the window, watching everyone.

Hiyono and Lun were sitting together, silently sobbing in the case of the blonde girl. Rio was standing near her, looking down and pale.

Kanone was still in his room, Kousuke was sitting on an armchair, trying to gather his thoughts and Ayumu was… biting his thumb.

"… I …" Ryoko snapped out of her reverie to see Rio shaking, tears falling from her eyes and slowly forming a sentence.

" I don't… I don't believe it… ie… uso da… uso da you!" she cried and fell to her knees, sobbing as she did.(no...that's a lie...that's a lie,i say!)

"… Eyes-nii-chan…" Lun's lip trembled and she cried on Hiyono's shoulder. The red fan she was holding dropped with a loud clatter to the ground.

"We still haven't confirmed if that _was_ the real Eyes… we can't be sure…" Ayumu said aloud, his gaze much like the one he held 2 years before when he and Rio made the decision for the re-match. Cold. Calculating. Determined.

"That's why we have to play his game…" Kousuke spoke up from the armchair. His galsses glinted , thought there was no blinding presence of light.

"So… anyone else want to come and play a little game?" he asked.

Ayumu opened his mouth to speak, but someone beat him to it.

"I'll go."

All of them looked at the figure standing just behind Ayumu.

"Kanone, what are you saying? You're-"Ryoko was cut off by Kanone's intense glare.

"There's something wrong with Eyes… as his mentor it is my responsibility." Kanone said.

"Demo…" Ryoko said, biting her lip. She was getting worried. What if one by one they disappear? "Ryoko-chan, he'll be alright… Kanone-kun is a strong person. Right? " Hiyono looked at Kanone and he smiled a bit and nodded.

"Alright, me and Kanone are going." Kousuke said and stood up. Kanone went ahead to the door and Kousuke grinned a bit at the girls.

"Aw, don't worry. I'll bring their somewhat-lifeless-yet-still-breathing bodies back… promise." He said and walked towards the door.

"Wait!" Ayumu grabbed his arm and forced Kousuke to look at him.

"I wanted to come…" Ayumu said, and to include Kousuke's opinion, looking very much like a child who was denied of treat.

"Well, we need someone to hold up the fort… and stop making that face dude, you look like a kid who just lost a chance to go out to the park..." Kousuke fought the laugh that was coming up in his throat and felt that hand on his arm slide off.

"… I …"

"Will take care of the girls and hold up Fort Blade Children… see ya." Kousuke said and rushed to the door, ignoring Lun's question and Ayumu's answer to it… or lack thereof.

"Ayumu-nii-chan… will they be alright?"

"… they…"

And the door went click.

…_**to Hunters HQ…**_

"Gave him the props… Doctor." The blackhaired boy said as he sat down on the comfortable leather armchair.

Ray nodded and looked back at his laptop.

"hmm, indeed it's a good plan… but I've got a nagging suspicion that-"

"-he will succeed. The mission will be done, and will affect the outcome in more ways than one. You have to trust him…" the blackhaired boy said as Estelle came in.

"Yzak, you've done it?" she asked. Yzak nodded and held his head.

"this is itchy…" he mumbled as he pulled on his black hair and let it slip off his fingers. He held the wig in his hand and threw it at Ray. "Next time, don't make it so itchy." He said.

Ray just smiled and nodded. "Alright,Yzak-dahling."

Yzak stood up and headed for the door.

"As I said, you have to trust him… since I don't."

CLICK!

…_**to WAREHOUSE JUNIOR!...yup, it lives…**_

Kousuke and Kanone stood outside the warehouse. The place was empty, and it seemed that their host had made sure no one would interrupt.

For as the gate closed behind them before, a red light went on, and it was just below the sign "LOCKED UNTIL FURTHER INSPECTION".

Kanone narrowed his eyes at the warehouse. Yes, it was exactly the same as the one he trapped Ayumu in before… and he didn't know what to expect, just like the brunette.

"We better get in." the brunette said, looking at Kousuke. The redhead just smirked and said, "Yeah, good manners _must _be present in a game such as this after all."

They walked towards the door and they were about to open it when it suddenly opened by itself.

Walking in, they beheld their playing field. Brown cardboard boxes stacked upon one another, created a maze of no extent.

"Some battlefield huh? Where's the bomb shelter and dismantled soldiers?" the green eyed Blade Child asked sarcastically as the doors slammed shut behind them.

The lights glowed and a voice, very familiar at that, boomed from all corners of the warehouse.

"Welcome Blade Children to my little game! Ara, there's only 2 of you? Oh well, that's alright. Well, aren't you going to greet me back?" came the voice of Eyes Rutherford, sounding as if he enjoyed seeing them there.

'it's as if he's not one of us anymore…' Kousuke thought. "We would, since it would be rude not to, but hell. We won't." he replied.

"…Very well then… now, this game is very simple! Almost too easy… you need only to reach the heart of my maze and there you will find dear, beloved Kanone's antidote…but, surprises await you at each turn so be careful!" Eyes said and laughed a bit.

Kanone glared at the maze and nodded. Kousuke bit back a shudder at the sound of Eyes' laugh.

"Oh, and don't forget… time limit is 2 hours. Enjoy." The silverhaired boy added.

They looked at the maze. There were 4 pathways to choose from. "Where?" Kousuke asked.

Kanone glanced at all of them and pointed to the far right.

"Over there." The golden-eyed one said. Kousuke nodded and they ran to it. While running along side the brunette, the green-eyed boy asked him,

"How can you be so sure? Did you use any techniques? Trackers? Handheld Panorama? Echolocation?"

Kanone just smiled and answered, " Pure luck."

The redhead sweatdropped and shook his head.

"Sometimes you really make me worry about your sanity."

Approximately 5 minutes later, a fork path halted them and Kousuke looked at Kanone. "Well? Right or left?"

The golden-eyed man walked towards the wall (slash boxes, I'll just use wall but they are boxes ok?) and pressed his ear to it.

…

…

…

"Kanone, I don't think the box has much to s-" Kousuke was cut off by Kanone pulling him to the left path and running.

"What? Is it pure luck again?" the redhead asked as he looked back.

"No, I heard-"

BOOM!

"A bomb huh?" Kousuke finished as they continued to run from the inferno. Kanone nodded and they ran silently the rest of the long way.

…_**uhmmm… let's go to… uhmm…ehhh…to 20 minutes later!...**_

"An hour and 30 minutes." Kousuke said as Kanone stomped on a bugbomb (small bomb that packs quite a punch…note, it is not shaped like a ladybug, it's just called that).

"Let's go." Kanone said.

A few minutes later, a problem yet again halted the 2 on their run. On 3 separate tables sat 3 upturned hats.

"Looks like we'll have to choose one…" Kousuke said as Kanone looked inside each one.

"Strange… there's nothing in them…" Kanone murmured.

"Lift the wrong hat and you'll both die… guess correctly and you will survive." Eyes' amused voiced floated around and they could just see him smirking right about now.

Kanone tried to listen to them, and ended with a crick in his neck. "I think I'm getting old." He mumbled.

"I think you should think about how we're gonna get out of here." Kousuke said, looking over his shoulder.

The redhead started to whistle again, as the brunette went back to the task at hand. Crap he was running out of songs. Now what?

The same thought was running around Kanone's mind.

…

"So…any clue?" Kousuke asked, as he finally concluded he was bored.

"Nope…" Kanone said as he shook his head. "Must be controlled by a mass sensor…"

"Then… which one is it?"

…_**ok, now we are really going somewhere!... back to Narumi apartment or Fort Blade Children…whichever floats your boat…**_

Ayumu couldn't stand it anymore. Hiyono babbling about the 2. Rio nodding to the babbling of the 2. Lun agreeing to the babbling of the 2. Ryoko taking in the babbling of the 2.

Crap, it was hard being the only guy there. So our little detective stood up and went in to his room noiselessly.

Thank god for socks.

He plopped down on his bed and sighed. He was worried too, but he had a better way of showing it. Well, if better meant dropping his coffee mug.

He glanced at the thing he had placed his hand on, which happened to be Kousuke's laptop.

It was carelessly left open with a program running itself.

He took a look and read aloud, "Panorama."

10 minutes and several cracked codes later, Ayumu closed the laptop with a snap.

Oh, how he hated being the only guy there… atleast he'd have someone to argue what he saw with.

…_a shame, really… how pretty things often mislead us…_

…_**back to warehouse junior and its inhabitants, the deep-in-thought kitty, the somewhat-worried fox and the smirking-in-the-shadows black cat…**_

"One more hour to go…" The redheaded Blade Child said as Kanone stretched. The silence was getting annoying and unnerving.

"…the middle one…" the brunette said as he bit his lip.

"You found out? How?" Kousuke asked excitedly. (oh, did I mention OOC in the warnings? Guess not…)

"Guessing." Kanone replied and shrugged.

"Kanone! This. Is. Not. A. Joke. Any. More. We'll die if you picked the wrong hat!" Kousuke fumed.

"I'd rather die… than surrender or run away." Kanone said sternly, his gaze intent and definite.

Kousuke sighed. "Whatever you say…" he said as they lifted the middle hat together.

"CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS! YoU hAvE sUcCeSsFuLlY fULfILLeD tHe MiSsIoN!" a mechanical voice rang out.

"Excellent! Now, you're just a few meters away from me… I promise that there will be no more traps activated to increase your time…" Eyes' voice once again confused them from every angle.

"Can you really trust him?" Kousuke asked. "Who knows…" Kanone replied.

They ran to the other direction, the path thankfully being straight.

'…He's right… am I just following my instincts?... or is something leading me?...' Kanone thought.

No sooner, they reached the heart of the maze. Eyes was standing there, a casually blank look on his face… which turned into a grin as Kousuke and Kanone came into view.

"Congratulations! You have finished the maze…" he said and took out an onyx black gun and pointed it at Kanone's head.

"That's not part of the deal!" Kousuke shouted, glaring at the man.

"Game over."

A loud bang was heard, it was followed by a scream of "Kanone!"…

… and Kanone Hilbert fell to the ground…

**OWARI**

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-00-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-00-0-00-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-00-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-00-0-0-0—0-0-0-0-0-

_Freya:… (hides behind a big wall of bricks)_

_Kousuke:… (hides behind the wall with her)_

_Asano: (pulls out a sheet of paper) today's moral is… **Never trust anything that is beautiful beyond compare…you may find yourself the victim of a horrible murder afterwards…** very specific…_

_Freya: (whispering) ja ne… bye-bye…_


	9. omnipotent

_Freya: it's been quite a long time… Asano._

_Asano: … true … can we get on with the fic already? I'm sure everyone is excited and or relieved that you finally found the time to update S2._

_Freya: ah, there are things which are not yet dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio… and there are things that ensnare even the most loyal servants… (sob)_

_Asano: a couple of notes before we begin… _**#1 : Yzak's real age is 19. ; #2 : Verraten is translated to 'Betray' .**

_Freya: Everyone, welcome back to the world of Spiral 2: Chain of Fate!!!_

_Asano: this chapter brings the following warnings : things that seem familiar will no longer be what they were, flashbacks are wrenches that drive through your reasoning, and that which we know to be Kousuke Asazuki we shall know have the grace to forget. _

_Freya: Things will change, for the better or for the worse, no one can tell…_

_Asano: all we can do is reveal the title of the latest chapter in the lives of the cursed chuildren…_

_**Omnipotent**_

* * *

"_Game over."_

_A loud bang was heard, it was followed by a scream of "Kanone!"…_

… _and Kanone Hilbert fell to the ground…_

…

A trail of smoke floated from the nozzel of the onyx black gun, its path wavy and uneven, as was the hand that held it. A maniacal grin plastered on his face as his hand shook with something undefined, Eyes could feel a numbing sensation spread through his hand, and to top it all of, his vision was failing him.

"Aha…haha..ha… ha… what's the deal here?... ahaha… why… can't I shoot… properly today…?"

The bullet had not, in fact, hit its intended target which was Kanone's head, instead it settled for the wall (Or box) behind him.

Kanone Hilbert crouched on the ground, saved by Eyes' wrong move and a coughing fit. The red head kneeled beside him, a hand on his back, not daring to look at the ex-Blade Child in front of them.

"…What…What happened to you, Eyes?... what have they…_done _to you..?..." he asked, his tenor a shaking unhappy melody.

"Where's my friend?!"

Kousuke's last words echoed through out the ware house, and all he got was a smirk in response.

Blue eyes narrowed as they watched the green eyed Blade Child cry with silent fury in front him. It was so much fun, he could hear Ray say. Taking out a control with the cliché red button on it.

"Ill show you." He whispered and pressed the button.

A metal crane that hovered a few feet away began to move towards Eyes, stopping directly above him with a loud creak.

"E-Eyes…" Kanone coughed, barely able to look up. "Eyes, what are you-" he was cut off by the sight of the heavy steel beams that were falling…

… on Eyes…

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seemed that that was just the beginning. Explosions on either side of them, Kousuke struggled to get out of the artificial hell they were in, as it continued to burst into flames again and again…

"Please… please tell me this is just a bad dream…" Kousuke whispered, as he walked away from the inferno, tears falling freely from his forest-green eyes.

The golden-eyed Blade Child merely shook his head, his voice a silent song of the wind.

"Let's just get out of here…"

An image of the silver haired boy made its way into the forefront of Kanone's mind, before everything went pitch black, as he himself fell into the land of the unconscious.

_

* * *

DING-DONG-DING-DONG_

"_Alright, coming!" the golden-eyed boy said and stood up. Lucky followed him to the door which opened to none other than…_

"… _Come in…"_

_Kanone smiled at his unexpected visitor, Eyes Rutherford. Ushering him inside, and as any perfect gentleman would, took his black coat and hung it on the coat rack._

_The younger Blade Child picked up the purring ball of fur and sat with it on the soft maroon couch. "So…" Kanone began as he sat down beside him, "..Any reason why you're here?" he asked, as Lucky got most of the attention anyoe would kill for._

_Eyes was petting him for goddness sake! Those long, slender moon-blessed fingers combing through milke white fur, elicitign a soft purr from the cat, who then decided it was time to leave._

_He jumped off Eyes' lap just as the silver haired boy turned to look at Kanone with a small smile. "Is it wrong to visit you, Kanone?" he asked, abruptly standing up and heading for the big windows._

_The brunette followed, standing besdie him, scratching the back of his head with a slight grin on his face. "Well, I guess not…" any further explanation was unavailable, as Eyes had suddenly turned to him and buried his face in the older one's chest, arms locked around the brunette, restraining his other arm._

_A slight blush crept on Kanone's face, his mind finally registering that this was _**real **, _not just a product of his imagination. "E-Eyes…"_

"_Tell me something…" the younger one whispered, looking up and as he did so, raised his hand to the side of Kanone's face. His hand deftly distracted the brunette, for it was soon leading his face closer to the blue-eyed boy's, whose lips were parted in an all-too suggestive manner._

"_What?" he'd just about tell this angel anyhting rioght now._

_With equal breathlessness, Eys answered. "Have you always… wanted me?" _

_The heart whose only purpose was to pump blood through the brunette's veins was now doing so in a most erratic manner, unable to keep up with the hormonal demands of the higher power, aka, Kanone's brain._

_Since this was the case, it took him a few seconds to gather his thoughts again and, fighting against the surreal wave of pleasure that a simple touch from Eyes' hand could give, he wrapped his free arm around the younger one's waist, moving to whiper one hot word into Eyes' ear._

"_Yes."_

_The silver haired teen pulled away slightly, ice blue meeting golden yellow almost instantly. His hands found their way back to the side of Kanone's face, although his other hand was at the back of it now. _

"_Well… here I am… Kanone…"_

_Kanone didn't have time note the accelerated beating of his heart, nor the hoarse whisper that was his voice when he said the pianist's name… for now, all he had to note was the fact that Eyes was kissing him._

'_I don't know what's gotten into him… but… I've been waiting for this for a long time…' the brunette thought, as the kiss got deeper, he himself being the cause. Unknowingly, he had thrust his tongue into the younger one's mouth, gaining a soft moan from him._

_Eyes smirked as Kanone wrapped his other arm around him, crushing him to the older one's chest. Discreetly, and without breaking the kiss, he pulled out an injection, filled with a clear, somewhat bubbly liquid._

_Sneaking a look at Kanone, Eyes fought hard not to smirk anymore as the brunette's eyes were closed. He positioned the injection right above Kanone's nape, and with little effort, injected the liquid into the brunette._

_He had only to wait a few seconds before Kanone pulled away, with hazy eyes and flushed skin, and fainted in his arms. Finally allowing himself a smirk, Eyes made way for the door to his bed room._

_Laying the brunette on the bed, he caressed the flushed cheek and slowly closed the distance one more time, before the door closed with a click._

* * *

…_**Hilbert Suite… **_

Rio looked at the oak door, sighing for the nth time that hour. She fiddled with her pigtails, and turned at the sound of footsteps coming her way. "Ryoko-chan. Lun-chan. Hiyono-chan."

The four girls stood infront of the door, until finally Ryoko opened it. On the wide bed, lay the unconscious form of Kanone Hilbert. One would think he was in very deep sleep.

Taking their places on all four corners of the bed, they looked at his face.

"… I can't believe… Eyes-kun would do this…" the silver haired girl whispered to her companions.

Hiyono shook her head. "Iie. It is not that we can't believe it… it's just that we refuse to… nee, Ryoko-chan?"

Lun looked as the brunette nodded, the pushed her bangs away from her face. "I believe."

They all looked at her.

"I believe we should become stronger. Become qualified to be what we are. Blade Children. If we are cursed, we should think we are blessed, for unlike everyone else, we know what we are destined to be. What we will be, is not our decision, therefore, we are free to choose our paths in the _now _that most people do not have.

We have a _then_, a past that has given us strength. We have _another day, _a day that we could be certain of. We are certain. I believe we are, and I believe…

I believe we should live, no matter what."

There was silence after these words were uttered, and the silence continued on as they contemplated.

"Ayumu."

Kousuke sat on the couch, watching dully as the younger brunette finished dressing his wound. It wasn't that big, just a stray piece of debri that he had failed to notice gashing across his leg.

"Ayumu."

He called again, but the brunette didn't mind. Or at least, did not appear to do so.

"Ayumu, listen-"

"What?!" Ayumu's brown eyes glared directly at Kousuke's green ones, and dancing in them were questions he did not dare ask, questins he wanted to ask but knew would gain no answer, and pleas that almost caught the red head by surprise.

"Stop saying my name that way… you sound pathetic…" he finally growled out, and went back to dressing the wound.

"But what if I can't?" the red head quipped playfully, a bit of a smirk on his face. Ayumu's head snapped up, and through running tears he continued to glare.

"Why didn't you let me come with you? Why did you have to go alone? I could've done something, couldn't I ? I could've helped you out! Why did you have to make me stay? Why? Why?..." a great sob ripped from his chest as the brunette collapsed against a very startled Kousuke.

"Why…?"

The red head sighed. "Because one is always better then two dead bodies, and one hurt and one close to danger beats getting you killed, now doesn't it?"

"Did he give you the antidote?" Ayumu asked quietly, aware that he was making the red head uncomfortable, but to hell with it!

"No." was the simple reply.

Ayumu just sat there, mildly aware of the funny tingling feeling Kousuke's hand was giving him, as he patted his back.

Too bad, the door bell disrupted the lovely moment and Ayumu was walking to the door in a hurry. He opened it and found no one.

"Who was that?" Kousuke asked as he returned, holding a small box and a card.

" **_I may be a traitor, but I don't break my promises._** It's the antidote." The younger Narumi answered.

"But who…"

"You lost too much blood,Kousuke…" Ayumu smirked, waving the injection as he sauntered to Kanone's room.

"That was Satan's angel."

* * *

…_**the yet-to-be-named-somewhere-else… **_

A darkened figure sat on the swivelling chair, behind a large mahogany desk. Puffs of smoke came forth, and Eyes Rutherford entered the room.

"Did you do your task?" the figure asked.

"Yes, sir." Eyes replied. He had a bit of soot on his face and clothes, but nvertheless, he was fine.

"I heard you hesitated on killing Kanone Hilbert." There was a questioning tone to the voice now, mingled with irritation.

"It was all part of the plan, Sir." Eyes replied, half-consciously shuffling his feet.

"Just to make sure." The figure pressesd a button, and the door opened to Estelle.

"Take him to the Doctor for his medicine."

"Yes, Sir." Estelle replied and turned to Eyes. Smiling at him kindly, she took his arm as the door opened.

"Come, Eyes. You need your medicine. Ray and Yzak are waiting for you."

CLICK!

Anotherf igure set out from the darkness, but his face we cannot see. Curse the bright red lollipop that was blocking it.

"Sir, don't you think he still has some feeling left?"

"Not for long, my pet. The Doctor will take care of that."

* * *

…_**Hilbert Suite… **_

"_Well… here I am… Kanone…"_

From the laptop at their disposal, Kousuke and Ayumu saw Eyes and Kanone.

Sickened, Kousuke quickly closed it. "So it was him who…"

Ayumu nodded. "I was supposed to tell you earlier…what now?" he looked helplessly at the red head.

"Ayumu, I don't know if you heard it, but Lun said something in that room… she said… If we are cursed, we should think we are blessed, for unlike everyone else, we know what we are destined to be. What we will be, is not our decision, therefore, we are free to choose our paths in the _now _that most people do not have… I think… she's right.

Ayumu,as a Blade Child, I tell you our tale. We were born, cursed a tbirth despised from our our crib to the now that we possess. Weapons were chosen, trained and hidden. Masks were worn, masks of the normality that the world craves.

But we are very far from that." Kousuke looked at the brunette, and it was at that moment that Ayumu understood the phrase 'hell froze over.'

* * *

…_**somewhere else again… s.e.a. for short…**_

Two blondes sat across the silver haired boy, who looked balnkly up at them.

"Do you remember who you are?" the question from the gray –eyed blonde was directed to the two boys.

"I am Eyes Rutherford."

"I am Yzak, the Wolfsbane."

…

"How old are you?"

Dual answers. "19"

…

"Where are you now?"

Dual answers again. "At the head quarters of the Hunters."

…

"Do you know why?"

Separate this time.

"To find my treasure." A smirk.

"To kill the Children." A cruel laugh.

"To kill and annhialate the hindrances of the world."

"To attain that which was lost."

"To destroy."

"To find."

Dual answers. "What is sought after."

Cruel laughs.

"The Blade Children"

* * *

…_**Hilbert Suite…**_

"We are so much more than that, Ayumu." Kousuke edged, taking out his dagger.

"Irises mean fortune of the believers… we believe, now it's time to see our fortune… tell me, do yout hink this mere betrayal can stop us? We who have seen hell, and have literally destroyed our souls?" there was somethignlurking in those eyes, and Ayumu found himself to overwhlemed to answer but a small reply.

"…No…"

"Ofcourse not! We have survived, whatever this world has thrown to us… and we will survive this…" forest green eyes were reflected in the spilt second before Kousuke threw the dagger down to the floor.

"We're Blade Children. We're Cursedn Children." A manic glint, Ayumu decided, was present in those eyes. Kousuke smirked.

"We're omnipotent."

_Freya: Happy New year!_

_Asano: "**All that glitters is not gold, often have you heard that told…" **_


	10. reflections

_Freya: hey all!!! Since I'm on a roll for Spiral today, I give you the next chapter!!!_

_Asano: this is a miracle in the works, folks… be very very thankful… who knws, maybe after this, she'll update NTI…_

_Freya: (scratching her head) you know I'm not as good as that…_

_Asano: that's why I said who knows…_

_Freya: anyways, thanks to these two really cool people who reviewed!!_

**_Phoenix of hell: _arigatou for reviewing!! And for that comment of yours, I thought I wasn't going to update this till next year… thanks to my brother for getting sick, and delaying my trip to the café… I hope you review this next chappie, coz tis one, me and Kaz really love… **

**_Rin: _sorry my friend, but yeah, it's boy/boy. I wrote in my profile, if you would care to see, that I promote yaoi and yuri. Yaoi, since I owe to it my life, and yuri coz I just do. I'm really sorry, but I don't do typical pairings… uhm, I think it would do best if you read some other fic, since this is boy/boy, no-stopping. **

_Asano: such a discouragement… nevertheless, the warnings for this chapter… **that which we know to be great, shall now crumble… that which we do not know lends a light… those who do not see clearly, be seen through this never ending rain…** that's it._

_Freya: I just realized, we make weird warnings. Does anyone else think so? Tell me if you think the warnings are weird…_

_Asano: I do._

_Freya didn't ask you. Beh!_

_Asano: let's get the fic rolling, shall we?_

_Freya: I vowed to start it with something cool!!!!!_

_Asano: now we see the effects of betrayal, of gaining and losing… of possessing something which should not be had… and now we give you…_

_Freya:… the title of the latest chapter in the lives of the cursed children…_

_**Reflections **_

* * *

…_**s.e.a. … the lounge…**_

It was silent in the lounge of the Hunters HQ, the time being 3 o' clock am, sharp. The clock ticked off the seconds happily, since now someone had the heart to listen to it.

A blonde boy with golden eyes sat on a black arm chair, staring at the laptop on the coffee table in front of him. He scanned through most of the information, and decided he could do better in the morning, and with his attention in place.

He couldn't possibly focus on memorizing every single trait of the Blade Children (and that younger Narumi's as well, plus that blonde girl's) when his mind was practically somewhere else.

Yzak sighed and leaned back on his armchair. It had been a pretty normal day yesterday, until he'd gotten a call form Ray and soon found himself drugged once again. He scoffed quietly. As if he needed it. Unlike the newcomer with silver hair, he came to the Hunters out of his own volition.

No one persuaded him to come, he just did. Thankfully, no one had asked him why, but Estelle and Ray. He cringed. Ray. The pedophilic feminist. There was something about the man that invoked such aura, that he tried his best to stay away from him for the last 6 years.

But with bad luck as his middle name, the Doctor had been assigned to be his 'guardian'.

…

_Silver hair…_

…

That newcomer he kidnapped turned out to be Ray's type of guinea pig/ victim. Poor kid. He was certainly very lucky that he had what they called "Evil Eyes". He smirked, that was just one of the many evil things about him.

He sighed, he needed sleep. _Controlled _sleep. Not some drug-defined, artificial sleep that would make him forget whatever he had witnessed. The Hunters often did that to their younger trainees, arguing that it would be best to keep innocents, innocent.

"But what about him, then?" he whispered to no one in particular. He could just see those big purple eyes blinking up at him, a splash of blood on his cheek, fresh from the kill. He couldn't stand it, but he had to. Kittens should play, after all, that's what they were supposed to do.

He stood up, picking up the black laptop and stretching a bit as he headed for the door. He hummed a tune he wasn't familiar with, but always did hum, out of habit. Ray had said that maybe he just liked it.

"_Every night you hear her croon  
A Russian lullaby  
Just a plain and little tune…"_

Careful not to wake anyone as he walked down the halls, he sang quietly, as if he knew the song by heart…

"_When baby starts to cry  
Rock-a-bye my baby  
Somewhere there may be…"_

He stopped suddenly, barely making out the last few lines… "_A land that's free… For you and me…And a Russian lullaby…" _

…he didn't know why… the tears just came…

…he couldn't stop them… and he couldn't move…

"_Look here Yzak, over here!"_

"_Coming!! Wait up…" _

"_Now, don't make him run so much dear…"_

"_Ah, he can handle it… he is my son, after all…" there was laughter and voices he couldn't quite give faces to… he heard his own, but what… what… what was that????_

"Yzak?"

It was him. The silver haired pianist. Eyes.

"It's nothing." He answered, though the tears would not stop. He was numb though, was that a consolation?... maybe he needed that stuff now.

Eyes' face crunched up in a small frown. A milk white hand found its way to the side of Yzak's face, wiping the tears there.

"Finish the song. I liked it…"

The blonde sighed. He was getting dizzy again. Not good. Ray would be fawning over him again if he wasn't careful… but it had been so hard to control it these days… he just couldn't…

"…_A land that's free… For you and me…And a Russian lullaby…" _

…

"That was beautiful…"

…

"_Yzak, look…"_

…

"Yzak…"

…

"_Wow! So small…"_

…

"Yzak?"

…

"_Why of course… he's only a baby…"_

…

"Yzak!"

…and there was darkness… as there had always been…

* * *

…_**Narumi Apartment…4:24 pm…**_

It was decided that they return to Ayumu's apartment for a while, sticking together would be the best choice for now. Incase of… ruthless attacks, as Kousuke had put it.

Ayumu knew something had snapped in the red head, even if he was acting normally now. Laughing with everyone else, grinning that goofy grin of his, Ayumu knew something was wrong.

"…_as if the Satan himself…"_

The brunette shivered as he walked towards the living room. Lun was kind enough to help Hiyono with the cooking, and Ryoko was staring outside the window. Ayumu seated himself beside Kousuke, who stood up and glanced at Ayumu's door.

"…Is he…"

"Still asleep. Rio's been standing there since we arrived." The brunette replied.

Kousuke nodded and went over to the silver haired girl.

"Rio."

"Kousuke-kun… is he okay?" her gray eyes gave no camouflage for the fear she was feeling. Her lower lip looked raw and pink, this being the only time she had stopped biting it.

"Physically, the antidote has done well for him… but emotionally…I wouldn't count on it." The red head leaned on the wall, sighing. He snuck a glance at the younger Narumi who was still sitting on the couch, eyebrows knitting.

'We owe him so much.' He thought.

Ayumu sighed. He was getting nowhere, absolutely nowhere. Madoka had left earlier that morning, saying something about ordering pizza instead of cooking. There had been a lot of silence after that. Something was bothering the young detective greatly, and it irritated him that he couldn't find an answer.

The green eyed Blade Child ruffled Rio's hair before walking back to the couch, thinking 'I wouldn't blame him though.'

Rio turned to the door and whispered through the key hole, "I hope you're alright Kanone-kun… if we lose you too, I don't know what we'll do…" silently wishing he had heard her, she made her way to the long haired brunette and proceeded to tickle her.

After all, even a fake laugh was better then nothing.

…

"I don't know about you… but I still can't believe it…" Ayumu said, leaning back on the couch as his companion dropped the remote and settled with MTV.

"What's there to make you deny it? Believing he betrayed wouldn't be too hard, now would it?" Kousuke replied, fake amusement at what he was watching.

The brunette narrowed his eyes. "The problem is… every move we make now will be painfully obvious to the Hunters… every weakness, every fault… everything secret tag of information will be at their disposal." Ayumu glared at the ceiling, biting his lip and knitting his eyebrows.

"To them… every move of ours is predictable…" Ryoko said from behind them. Rio had tickled her silly, ending up in a jumble on the floor.

The silver haired Blade Child lay flat on her back beside the long haired brunette, trying to catch her breath.

"So… is this… the end?"

Thunder boomed suddenly from the outside, yet no one was paying that much attention to it. The rain that fell on the city were their unshed tears…

Lun and Hiyono looked at each other. "Ano… Ayumu-nii-chan…"

"I can't believe… **he **betrayed us…" was the harsh reply.

Lun bit her lip. No, she couldn't say anything. Even if she knew what was to happen… she couldn't… she just…

The door of Ayumu's room creaked open and this caught their attention. "Kanone, where are you-"

"I'm going out." The brunette replied, point blank. Kousuke narrowed his eyes, but was held back by the younger Narumi's current state. The glass of juice he had finished shook in Ayumu's hand, brown eyes intense and glaring.

CRACK!

The glass breaks with undefined anger and frustration, the grip of the brunette filled with both.

"Why…"

"…_you haven't played the piano for such a long time…"_

"_Fortune of the believers, Narumi-otoutu…"_

"_Tell us… what is the meaning of our lives?"_

"_These… thses are the hands that have been possessed by the piano…"_

"_I know… you have no reason to come… but…"_

"…_Ayumu…"_

* * *

…_**s.e.a…**_

"Will he be alright?" Eyes had asked the blonde Doctor that question when they had wheeled Yzak into the room at the end of the hallway. He had been answered with a smile and a word of affirmation, both of which he knew was fake.

How did he know? The little child that was always by Ray's side had shivered and hid his head in the blonde's coat.

"He'll be fine dahling. I assure you, all he needs is some rest… you should sleep as well." Ray had said.

So here he was, sitting on a white bed in dismally white room, clutching his head for the love of a migraine. Why did his head hurt so much? Why did they send Yzak to that room? Why did-

"What's the matter Eyes-kun?" speak of the devil. The purple eyed child looked up at him from the doorway, hands jammed into the pockets of his jeans.

No reply.

"The weather's beautiful, isn't it?" he said, looking outside the window. Rain was pouring down in buckets, seemingly of their own volition and not the usual rain cloud's fault.

Eyes nodded stiffly, still clutching his head. But the migraine had stopped…

"So… how are you feeling today?"

"…empty…" who was answering? Certainly not him, he felt- "…and hollow."

He suddenly stood up and grabbed his coat. What was he doing? What did he say? Empty? Hollow? But why? Why?

'that's how you're supposed to feel… like a puppet…' the child thought grimly.

"Now, where do you think you're going?" the child asked as Eyes stepped past him, opening the back door.

"…the rain… it's calling…"

CLICK!

* * *

…_**To Narumi Apartment…**_

Ayumu looked at the keyboard in front of him. Buying it was one of the biggest acts of stupidity mingled with happiness in his whole life.

He began to play.

_I'm standing on a bridge_

_I'm waiting in the dark_

_I thought that you're be here by now_

Eyes stood alone on the bridge, not caring if the rain decided to drench him. He simply stared, down at the water.

_There's nothing but the rain_

_No footsteps on the ground_

_I'm listening but there's no sound_

'…who am I ?' Eyes asks himself the eternal question, looking at his reflection. The rain drops fell on the water and erased it, the ripples replacing bright orbs of blue.

_Isn't anyone trying to find me?_

_Won't somebody come take me home?_

He continued to stare at his reflection, when it had chosen to appear again. The rippling water danced and continued to annoy him, erasing once again his profile.

'where do I really belong?'

_It's a damn cold night_

_Trying to figure out this life_

_Won't you take me by the hand _

_Take me somewhere new?_

_I don't know who you are, but I_

… _I'm with you…_

The rain continues to fall… continues to drench Eyes…

…while another lost soul wanders through the streets, aimlessly weaving through the crowd. Kanone Hilbert had nowhere to turn to now.

_I'm looking for a place_

_I'm searching for a face_

_Is anybody here I know?_

He treads on the pavement, carelessly walking, not knowing where his feet would take him. They seemed to have a mind of their own.

Clutching his umbrella, he thinks of only one face. One person.

'…Eyes…'

'_Cause nothing's going right_

_And everything's a mess_

_And no one likes to be alone_

Despite the rain, he continued to walk. Ending up in a park, the fountain seemed to be his only companion.

_It's a damn cold night_

_Trying to figure out this life_

_Won't you take me by the hand_

_Take me somewhere new_

_I don't know who you are, but I_

…_I'm with you…_

Questions fill his mind… why does he feel this way? Why does the absence of one cause him to suffer so? Why do these questions fill his mind?

What does he truly feel for Eyes?

Why… why does he love him?...

His feet stop their vigil, and he looks up.

_Why is everything so confusing?_

_Or am I just out of my mind?_

Eyes heard footsteps coming near him, then stopping.

He does not look back, instead longingly gazes downwards, towards the reflection of his face in the water…

…the only proof… of his existence…

…the only evidence… he was **alive**…

…the biggest question in his mind…

_It's a damn cold night_

_Trying to figure out this life_

_Won't you take me by the hand_

_Take me somewhere new_

"…Eyes…"

… _I don't know who you are… _

…_but I… I'm with you…_

A hand rests on Eyes', an he turns his head to the owner of the source of warmth.

_I'm with you… I'm with you…_

_

* * *

Freya: ja ran! Et voila, my friends!! Another chapter!!!_

_Asano: **…Blind men shall see dreams… but those with eyes sewn shut, shall see the future…**_


	11. author's note

Author's note:

Hello everyone! Freya Kurenai here, alive and insane. I have a small announcement to make today…

…

I won't be able to update on Spiral 2 for quite some time because I've got the school work-load to keep up with // I am determined to get better grades in English and Soc. Stud.// plus the other plots that I'm working on. I know, it might take another couple of months before I up-date, right? But don't worry! Once I get a USB, I can type on my laptop and you won't have to worry about the fics getting old and rusty…

…

If you've read my fic, Not That Innocent, please do review it. I'll be posting an author's note there too, so you can read up on that.

…

On with my apology. True, I may not seem like the studious type, but because of my teachers, I can't bear failure. I'd hate to lose this time, so I'll be working hard. When I do return, I hope you'll welcome me back with some criticism /constructive ones, I hope/ and some other words of opinions.

Hopefully, the load will ease up at some point and let me post a teeny-weeny addition, but as my favorite character is Kanone, hoping's no good for me. But that doesn't mean it means the same for you!

So, see ya in a blue moon!

Sincerely, Freya K.


	12. broken

Freya: Miracles do come true! Hehehe, hey everyone! I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!! From hibernation….  hehe, so, after like weeks of no updates- here it is!** The next chapter of Spiral 2: Chain of Fate!!!**

Crowd: -cheers- finally!

Freya: thank you, thank you. Now, this chapter is dedicated to-

Ayumu: -holds up big gold plaque-** phoenix of hell.**

Freya: and?

Ayumu: -holds up another plaque-** Kousuke Asazuki.**

Freya: for their ever note worthy support!!!

Ayumu: -holds up a list- which includes :** NET, Hiei's TreeHuggingGirlfriend, Alexandra, Snowberrie, Azalea, Mierkai…. **And that's it.

Freya: well, here comes your favorite part, ladies and gents…**warnings and disclaimers!**

**_Discalimer : Never owned it, and never will since I am not even Japanese and I do not even have the slightest chance of being pegged as his descendant…. Cause, you know, I could… if I could fake it… you know, being his descendant.. and all.. _–shuffle shuffle-_… uh, I don't own it!!! Spiral ain't mine!!!!_**

**_Warnings : When hurt, let anger consume you… when tortured, let memories console you… but once you have died, let the hand of light lead you… and question not, what is or is not…_**

Freya: I knew we'd have weird warnings again…

Ayumu: oh, shut up.** _What we knew to be strong and firm will crumble… what we knew to be nothing will prove to be everything… and what games are played, will be anything but games from now on… _**

_Freya: … what ever the rain washes away, will be the least of their worries… the hand of god strikes all… and thus is the result…_

_Ayumu: the title of the latest chapter in the lives of the cursed children…_

_**Broken**_

_

* * *

I'm with you… I'm with you…_

Eyes turned around to see…

"Shurei…"

A purple-eyed boy, about 10-years-old, looked up at him, his gray hoodie protecting him form the rain.

Those big, bright orbs pinned him, like a collector would with his butterflies and spoke, in a quiet tone unusual for a child.

"Why did you let yourself get soaked?"

Eyes turned back to the flow of water beneath him, thinking that he really couldn't meet those eyes. Not when they were _that_ empty.

The child's eyes narrowed, and closed. He pulled on the sleeve of the older one's shirt, and said, "Come. I have a message for you."

He led him to sit down on a white bench, wet, yes, but it seemed that eyes didn't mind.

"How's Yzak?"

The child winced, but kept the blank look on his face. He pulled out a towel from his pocket (a/n: I'll just confirm that Shurei has a gray hoodie and a white jacket beneath that.) and placed it on his friend's crown of silver hair.

"He's fine."

"What did Ray say about… me going out…"

Ah, there's the fear. Shurei allowed a small smile to creep onto his face, before rubbing the towel on Eyes' head.

"He got a bit pouty, but don't worry…"

He stopped and Eyes decided that maybe he could look up now, the kid _sounded _normal. Maybe he would be sent back.

Hmm, that sounded nice.

"The boss wants to see you."

_Heh, normal._

Blue eyes lost the faint glow they had, as Shurei tugged the towel off his head. "Go."

The black-clad teen stood up and went, his footsteps masked by the pattering rain that was yet to stop. Shurei pulled back his hoodie, looking up to the cloudy, gray sky.

"…I feel…_sorry_… for you, Eyes…"

…_**to Kanone… in another park…**_

The brunette sat on a bench, restraining a sigh. He'd arrived here just moments ago, and didn't really feel like going somewhere dry.

_The rain felt very soothing, though._

And cold, as a light breeze simpered by him. His umbrella sat on the ground, not really having any use, as far as Kanone was concerned. _And to think, when it was I who betrayed you… you didn't even cry…_

A pair of red boots stopped in front of the Blade Child, and it took just half a second for Kanone to bring up his ever favorite smile. _I am such a lying bastard._

"Can I join you… onii-chan?"

He knew that voice, even if the bright red umbrella was lowered, and even if there wasn't a scarf wrapped around her face, Kanone knew.

It was Lun.

_Sweet girl. But why did she have to follow me?_

And he voiced just that. "So… why did you have to follow me?" a good natured smile took the place aof the regular one, feigning warmth and amusement.

The red head sat beside him, pulling the scarf down a bit. It was easier to talk that way anyway. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"…I… I know it hurts… Kanone-nii-chan… but, I'm sure… I'll never really know… just _how much _it hurts… for you…"

The rain had long since stopped trying to give them pneumonia, and instead settled for a slight pitter-pattering on the pavement. Kanone was sure it was mocking him. Making sure he heard every word.

_Stupid rain._

"…specially, because… because I know that you truly cared for him… and, what I feel right now, that is, like losing a brother, I know… what you're feeling is much worse…" she dared look at him, a small smile that said she was sincere. How could she not be?

_Somewhere in there… are the wits of a true Blade Child… _

"I don't know about you, since you've known him your whole life…" _she's right about that_ "- but what I do know is that… he's very important to you, and to everyone else.. that's why we should stay together, all of us… surely, there must be a reason for all of this." She finished.

Kanone tried to give her a true smile, one that really counted and one that was really warm… but, like always, he couldn't. _I guess you already own all of that, don't you Eyes?_

He tried anyway.

"You may think you're still quite young, but believe me Lun…"-_or not, cause I doubt that I can believe myself anymore…_ "-you've got knowledge and wisdom beyond your years." _In fact, we all do. We're just unsure of how to use them. When's the right time, or what to use it on. _

_We are, after all, children._

The rain was still falling, and Kanone didn't resist as the younger girl handed him her umbrella, and as she said,

"I'll cry for you… if you don't mind."

_I'll cry for you… Eyes…_

… _**Narumi Penthouse… apartment… whatever… just, back there, with Ayumu…**_

The brunette sighed, resting his head on his arms on the keyboard. He had cried already, no use to cry again. Besides, wasn't he supposed to be the Savior? _Savior my foot, can't even fix my own hand._

His hand, injured by the glass from a while ago, had apparently decided against rapid recovery, and wanted to stay open, bleeding off every so often. This was not one of those moments, thank god.

CLICK!

What was that?

"You shouldn't leave yourself so vulnerable, Narumi-otouto." Said an all too familiar voice. Ayumu jerked up, and met the cold, blue eyes of…

"Rutherford… what the hell are you doing here?" _crap, wasn't supposed to be a question._

Eyes merely narrowed his eyes, the only visible part of him, save for a few locks of silver hair. Either it was because of the darkness of the room, or Ayumu's vision, he didn't know.

Rutherford seemed… amused.

_It doesn't help he's close to the light switch. _He thougt.

The older teen walked towards him, and for a split second Ayumu wondered if he should back away. He _wondered_. Suddenly, he found himself on the other side of the room, back pressed against the wall, and the intruder's face mere inches from his own.

"…have you noticed, Narumi-otouto, that the scar on your hand is still open?" he asked.

Ayumu's eyes widened. _How did he…_

He could just about swear those eyes _smirked_. Just about.

"You see, while you did take apprehensive measures to ensure that we wouldn't get into your house, your sister did not."

Ayumu glared. "What are you saying?"

"About 3 weeks ago, before you arrived, someone delivered a brand new set of glasses to your sister. Any guesses? None? Well, we really didn't expect _you_ of all people to go ahead and break one of them… but in that off chance…"

A low chuckle filled the room and Ayumu cursed the fact he wasn't careful enough.

"What was inside that glass?"

"…nothing… but a little medicine…"

"how dare you-"

Before Ayumu could finish, and before he could question what (the hell) it was that Eyes suddenly swallowed, he was being kissed.

_Kissed._

_By Eyes Rutherford, currently enemy number one._

_The hell!_

A few seconds later, he felt Rutherford pull away and let him go. Sadly enough, he slipped down on the floor, somewhat dazed and not-so-lucid.

"what…"

"Antidote. The opposite of poison, or rather, the cure for such."

Ayumu tried his best to glare, but the heat-haze that suddenly enveloped prevented it. _…Crap…_

Eyes smirked, a slightly shadowed smirk from the brunette's point of view. He kneeled down, face to face with him, and gently tipped his chin upward so that they could face each other.

There was an awfully taught and heavy silence after that, and it seemed as if both were waiting for something…

"**Hey… Ayumu, you in there?"**

…_Kousuke!..._

Ayumu's head snapped up, thus hitting the wall behind him. A soft chuckle and he was lifted up. "How close have you two gotten?" was the annoyingly placed question.

"…the hell… are you… talking… 'bout…"

_He's obviously enjoying mocking me… _the younger Narumi thought as Eyes chuckled again, stopping in front of the door. "Oh, just curious…"

"…I can stand…" suddenly aware of the lack of support, he looked around to see the figure leaning on an open window. A black gun in hand.

His eyes widened.

"…did you know, Narumi-otouto…"

A click as the trigger was pulled…

"…I am a chronic liar…"

BANG!

Kousuke turned around at the sound of the gun shot, and just in time too as the door burst open, and as Ayumu fell back.

"Ayumu! What the hell…"

"…there was absolutely no reason for my earlier actions. You were never poisoned and the cut you have is not rare… there is, however a bomb in your midst, Narumi-otouto. I hope you find it soon."

There was a swish as the figure jumped out of the window. Kousuke looked at the brunette whose eyes had gone from shocked to irritation to determination in rapid fire succession.

"…You heard him… there's a bomb in here…" he said, standing up but a bit shaky nonetheless. He had to grab on to Kousuke for a bit before he noticed the tight grip on his shoulder.

"Kousuke?"

"…We'll talk later."

Ayumu just nodded mutely, and seeing as the girls were right behind them…

"Narumi-san…?"

"There's a bomb."

… _**back at Kanone's park… it's his property for the moment, k?...**_

"_I'll cry for you… if you don't mind."_

_I'll cry for you… Eyes…_

Kanone merely sighed at the thought. Lun had been sitting quietly next to him, a few tears falling now and then. He resisted the urge to wipe them away, because as she said…_if I didn't mind… _he sighed again, leaning on the back of the bench.

"…That's enough, Lun… that's enough…"

"But nii-chan…" she gasped suddenly, and her eyes lost their glow. She was very still.

"Lun?" Kanone noticed the change and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"…_He has come… he who has risen from the dead yet still remains as one of them… he has come…_"

And just as sudden as that change was, it disappeared and Lun was shaking her head as if something had gotten into it. "…itte, it came again…"

"What came again?"

"…nii-chan…it…" her eyes widened suddenly and she jumped up, holding her fan out in front of Kanone.

"You!"

"Enjoying yourselves?" asked the blue-eyed, silver-haired ex-Blade Child, Eyes Rutherford. He smirked, even as the rain continued to fall on him, soaking him wet.

"…Eyes…" Kanone stood up, eyes wide and questioning. _What to do now?_ "What are you doing here?" the brunette tried his best to be calm and unemotional, slipping on the mask of lies as he had always done.

"It's a nice day for fireworks, isn't it?" Eyes said, almost casually. _Tut,tut. The mask has a crack._

"What do you mean?" Lun asked in barely leashed defensiveness.

The teen simply smiled, and a playful glint appeared in his eyes. "…Right now, there is a bomb in Narumi-otouto's apartment." He took out a switch, small and black with a yellow button. He pressed it.

"…and you have about 15 minutes to stop it."

The red-haired Blade Child glared at him before glancing at Kanone. The older one just nodded in assent. _Leave us_- was the silent command.

With one last threatening look at Eyes, Lun turned and ran back to the base of the Blade Children.

"…Should I ask you to bow, or should I settle for that 'un-emotional' face your pulling on, Kanone?" eyes asked, a sly smile on his face.

Kanone simply chose to glare some more.

_**...to Narumi Apartment…**_

Lun had rushed in to find the whole being turned upside down by it's current occupants, in search for the bomb both she and Ayumu had had knowledge of.

Simple orders, really : **Search and destroy.**

Ayumu got the kitchen messed up, since he was the only one who knew where everything was and must be put back to, Lun went under the chairs plus the couches in the living room.

Kousuke searched the bedrooms (spending a good minute more than he intended in a certain brunette's room), Hiyono thought to look at the windows stating that they _were_ looking for it _everywhere_, right?

Rio rushed to the fuse box and the closet therefore while Ryoko checked everything else.

Simple orders, really. **Not so simple task.**

…_**back to… the battlegrounds… please, if you love Kanone and Eyes to the point of hurting, grab a tissue box!!!...**_

_There was a molten silence that seemed to explode with just the slightest breath of either of the two who still stood in the rain. There was nothing that could have spared them both from the inevitable, and yet, those who claim to have surrendered to their fate, why fight the sadness that will overcome you?_

"…Eyes…" Kanone began, just this side of unsure about his current train of thought and the words that were to come out of his mouth.

"What happened to you?" he sought the slight glow in those eyes, the slight glow that told him Eyes still understood him just as always.

Why couldn't he find it now?

"I've realized what was right and what was wrong Kanone… **I've seen the light.**" Eyes replied, ice in his voice and even colder were those words and there impact.

Vestige broken.

"Those are just lies they've put into your head! Have you forgotten what I taught you?"

* * *

"**_Live as close as possible to the edge of the world Eyes… see what wrongs were committed even after our birth…"_**

* * *

"And what of **your **lies? Don't tell me that those are any different." He glared at the older brunette as he narrowed his eyes at him.

"**You taught me nothing.**" Was his icy reply.

* * *

"_**Anyone can be your enemy. Stay on top, no matter what."**_

* * *

"…I taught you… **everything **you know Eyes. You learned all you know from me… For years I've watched you grow and I reminded you many times of our fate." Kanone wondered briefly if he had taught him… too well… his face looked the same, yet there were subtle changes.

The narrowed blue eyes were boring holes into him.

* * *

"…_**Wasn't it the fox who first taught the human race how to be sly? Eyes, use everything in your power to do just that…"**_

* * *

"You wasted your time." Eyes stated coldly. There was a moment's silence as Kanone felt his gut drop. Was it because somehow he was right?

If it had turned out as bad as this, had he wasted his time then? Or was he simply incapable of realizing that he did something wrong?

* * *

"_**Focus. Look straight ahead and never look back. Be strong, Eyes."**_

* * *

"I **don't **believe I wasted my time." Kanone gritted his teeth, trying to convince himself otherwise. Or was it the other way around?

Was he trying to fool himself?

Or was it…

* * *

"_**Everything can be a weapon. From the air we breath up to something as unpredictable as the weather. Everything."**_

* * *

"Such a foolish Blade Child. You're only confusing yourself…" a condescending chuckle, followed by an amused sigh.

"…so blind…"

* * *

"_**Cursed we may be Eyes, but ignorant we are not."**_

* * *

Kanone looked up, letting a few rain drops fall on his already wet face. They felt foreign and strange, but so was the aura invoked by the person he thought he knew inside out.

"Maybe I am blind…"

* * *

"…_**Strive for the unattained Eyes, and then learn how to let it go."**_

* * *

"…so as to believe that you might come back, Eyes." Gold met blue and in a flash, Eyes standing right in front of Kanone, a look of barely leashed anger on his face.

"Come back? For what? What reason would I, or you or anyone else have that would be good enough for me to return?!"

* * *

"_**Would you rather weep as you fight Eyes, and risk hurting yourself, or likewise bleed and win?"**_

* * *

"I am not a pawn in your damned hands, Hilbert." Eyes hissed, holding Kanone's collar.

Kanone had resigned himself to the rough treatment, and watched Eyes with a slightly weary look. Sadness intermingled with regret.

_Had I done something wrong?_

… _why won't he listen anymore?_

_Has it really turned out to be like this?_

* * *

"…_**To be hurt, we must first learn how to care."**_

* * *

"Maybe… aren't I one too?" the brunette mumbled quietly.

Eyes let go and walked back to where he was standing before. He fumbled for a minute in his pocket and pulled out a gift, a memento that Kanone had given long ago. (a/n: remember the shiny thing, folks?)

"Wake up from your dream, Blade Child."

Slowly, ever so slowly, it fell from his hand.

* * *

"_**Catch others when they fall from the greatest height… then, guide them back upwards… and finally, push them and let them fall."**_

* * *

"The old me is gone." With that, simultaneously, Eyes walked away and Kanone fell on his knees, shaking.

He was on all fours, shivering, trying to cry and yet unable to do so because of what he knew to be true. He was made of lies, nothing but lies. And he gave them too, the lies escaped so easily from his mouth just as the pale pink shell broke as it hit the cold pavement.

* * *

"_**We were born to be slaughtered… in every way they see fit…"**_

* * *

…**_tissue boxes empty? Right, back to the Narumi Apartment…_**

SLAM!

Ayumu slammed his hands down on the table. They had searched every corner of the house, even uncovered some things that they didn't know still existed, and still they hadn't found the bomb yet.

"We've looked everywhere…" he growled out.

Lun glanced at the hall clock that now sat on the couch. "We've got less than 5 minutes." She bit her lip.

"What now?"

Ryoko had joined Rio on the far end of the table, while Hiyono stood beside Lun, leaving Kousuke to not-so-awkwardly sigh and pat Ayumu on the back as he slumped on the table.

_The hell are we going to do now?????_

Ayumu groaned and looked at the vase that was supposed in his room. The hell brought it there?!

_Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock…_

_Wait a minute…_

Ayumu's head snapped up as he took the vase and held it close to Kousuke's ear.

"What do you hear?"

"…a bomb!"

Ayumu threw the vase on the floor, found the micro bomb and threw it outside, exploding in the summer rained-upon sky.

There was a collective sigh of relief as the fireworks continued to grace their view.

Kousuke sighed and sat down next to Ayumu, who had leaned against the wall for lack of relaxation. "You do know that your sister won't let you off with just a 'we got threatened by the Hunters and the vase happened to have the bomb so we smashed it' kind of explanation, right?" he asked tiredly.

The brunette leaned his head on his shoulder and grumbled, "I know. I broke a mug **and **a vase."

The red-head merely let him lie there. Not really minding the uncomfortable tickle in the pit of his stomach.

Ryoko sighed and looked at Lun. "By the way, did you find Kanone, Lun?"

The younger Blade Child looked down and bit her lip. "Nee-chan, I …"

Suddenly, she looked up, with lightless eyes and pointed at the door… which just as suddenly burst open with more-than-needed force.

"Kanone! Where have you-"

"We'll kill him." Kanone growled, standing in the middle of disarray and glaring like hell. Kousuke struggled to stand up and help Ayumu up at the same time, and still manage to look at Kanone.

"W-What? Kanone, are you saying?" Ryoko asked.

Kanone looked up, murder in his eyes.

"If Eyes… If that **Hunter** gets in our way… we'll kill him…"

Thunder and lightning pelted the skies and drenched everything in sight.

"**We'll kill him."**

…_**s.e.a…**_

"Job well done Rutherford." The boss said and smirked.

"Thank you sir. What should I do know?" a voice replied.

"Go back to your room, you're soaking wet from walking in the rain."

…

"Right away, sir."

**OWARI**

**

* * *

Freya: the evil. Hope you liked it and expect more after holy week!!!**

**Asano: _"Sleep upon the soft cloud of hope, for only then can you truly experience faith with no boundaries… being awake is questioning everything that we dream of…"_**


	13. thailand tripping

Freya: hey everyone:3

Dr. Jeremy: seriously, she's supposed to be pissed off. And hey.

Freya: oh, didn't know you were here! –sparkles-

Dr. Jeremy: -nodding- I got into your subconscious.

Freya: I'd like to introduce to everyone, Doctor Jeremy Miller, from my original yaoi fic, _Tsubasa: Metallurgy of the Aegis_.

Dr. Jeremy: -slight bow- anyway, I'm concerned about your mental health.

Freya: oh? I didn't know you cared! – attempts to huggle the tall bishie -

Dr. Jeremy: -moves away- no, not particularly. But since you are 'The Creator', I have, as all doctors you have created, a specific concern for your mental health.

Freya: which would be?

Dr. Jeremy: -twitch- you're over-plotting. Again. Must I tell you that that is bad for your neural synapses? They are being delayed, much like the effects of alcohol.

Freya: -blink blink- oh. That. Just that?

Dr. Jeremy: yes, just that.

Freya: my dear Dr. Jeremy… the reason why these plots are coming to me, I will never fathom. Worse still, I can never understand why I make such…

Dr. Jeremy: such what? Incessant drivel? –glares at me through his clear glasses, with his lightning blue eyes-

Freya: such… -shifty eyes-

Dr. Jeremy: -glares impatiently- what?!

Freya: such constant warnings!!!

_**Watch the explosions of thousands of stars and wonder if anyone ever loved their light. **_

_**The trusted messenger of the Gods, son of those demented, why strike now? **_

_**This fallen angel keeps no hope, yet still longs for the sounds of soft music from the heaven which he fell from. **_

_**Oh plaintive whimpers come from nothing, yet to listen is to know each and every sorrow. **_

_**Why now of all times to revel in another's pain will the hammer of Ares strike? **_

_**Believe it or not, this is their fate…**_

_**Heavenly wings, goddess' markings, present the**__** title of the latest chapter in the lives of the cursed children…**_

_**Thailand Tripping**_

* * *

…_**s.e.a…. Eyes' room…**_

The summer sunset sky was foremost lighted by the sudden fire works, yet to succumb to the silent but persistent of the rain. There was a clear view of the little squabble in Eyes Rutherford's room, the large window an excellent provider.

A soft moan joined the claps of thunder, and the silver haired boy admiring the view leaned further back in to the soft plush of the arm chair he sat in.

Though it was not the view that urged the sound of pain, no, but it was not far from it as well.

A bolt of lightning and the last ephemeral star, a yellow one- bright and sparkling like gold, died in the sky.

…

"…_**Eyes…"**_

…

"…Kanone…"

Eyes mumbled, holding his head, as the flood of memories swept in again. He couldn't place them, and just as he had the urge to, the head ache got worse.

He curled in upon himself, willing the sharp pain to go away. Slowly, it began to, leaving a steady thump dominating most of his hearing and another soft moan to escape from his lips.

The blue- eyed Hunter had just come back from a mission, and was immediately sent to Ray's office. A quick check-up and a bidding to go get changed. Oh, and a little shot. He had watched intently as the liquid emptied into his vein and was surprised to note that that had taken the whole ten minutes.

The blonde doctor had told him that he might get a bit of fun later, and with a short hug he was sent off.

Sitting up, eyes slipped on his shoes and paused. Technically, having the head ache wasn't so bad if he…

He bit his lip, unwittingly –albeit thankfully- remembering what happened _after_ his visit to the doctor.

_

* * *

Eyes closed the door and sighed. Ray had a habit of hugging people, thus disrespecting their personal space._

_Which said a lot for the ex-Blade Child and his preference for silence and boundaries. _

_As he walked down the hall, he chanced a glance at the glass windows that doubled as the outer walls and smiled a bit at the sight. A couple thousand droplets of rain pouring down, hitting the glass and creating a serene atmosphere. _

_He stopped, just to stare some more at the wonderful accident of nature. He was about to go when he heard foot steps coming towards him. Blue eyes widened as they recognized him._

"_Yzak."_

_The blonde, golden eyed Hunter nodded, acknowledging him. _

"_Eyes."_

_There was a slightly weary breadth in the way the older teen stood, the black jacket un-clipped and loose on his broad shoulders._

_The blue-eyed teen walked towards the blonde, sauntering up to him to look at his face. There was a hint of surprise on the older Hunters' face, and little else. Yzak, as Eyes had gathered from Ray's babblings, tended to be overly mature about things._

_Obviously, this was one of them._

'_He looks tired…' Eyes thought. "Did Ray call you?" the low tenor of Yzak's voice brought him out of his reverie, only to find himself looking directly at pastel gold eyes._

_Eyes nodded. "He just asked how I was doing and told me to get changed. Oh, and he gave me a shot too." If it felt odd to just tell someone what you had just been doing in a voice that sounded like a small child explaining to a brother or sister, Eyes wouldn't know. He felt like he needed to._

_Yzak raised an eyebrow at him, then shook his head. "Do you still get head aches?" _

_Eyes nodded, paused, and looked at him. "They're not that bad…" _

_A light laugh, and a warm hand was caressing his cheek. Immediately leaning into the touch, Eyes nevertheless kept his eyes locked with Yzak's, watching for any reaction at all. This wasn't the first time he did this._

_A sigh, the hand lingers and golden eyes close. _

"…_lying doesn't work for you Eyes." Off-handed tone, and something plays with his hair. _

_Eyes decided that he quite liked this position. His lips quirked, subsequently mumbling – "Ray said it was good. And Estelle too."_

_The hand started to leave, and Eyes hadn't noticed his hand- the one that had followed that source of warmth, the one that had inadvertently stayed over the older teen's- had still held on to Yzak's._

"_Not to me."_

_The blue-eyed Hunter held on, somewhat tightly and yet not because he knew he couldn't hold on that much. He had clumsy hands._

"_Listen…"_

_Of course he would, and Eyes noticed his eyes were open again. He looked tired, but his eyes shone with something Eyes couldn't place._

"…_if anything happens, anything at all, come to me… alright?" _

_It was hesitant, Eyes was sure. But it was kind too, not kind like the way Ray was, with his hugs and laughter and babblings, but in the way that was silent. A small sound, and if you tried hard enough, you would hear it echo._

"_Of course…" an answer with no hesitation. The hand leaves, and Yzak walks away, leaving Eyes in the hallway._

'_He's warm.'_

_He always was, warm and tender and kind too, he'd seen him smile. He was warm and Eyes decided that he quite liked this warmth Yzak always gave him._

_It made him feel… 'safe'. A feeling that was vague, and a word that was foreign to his tongue. But for some reason, he didn't know why, he always associated it with a pair of golden eyes…_

* * *

… And something _had_ happened, and even if he didn't have a coherent reason to look for the older teen, he knew that Yzak wouldn't mind.

Eyes liked to think he liked him.

As he stood and walked out of his room, the younger teen never noticed the pair of brilliant purple eyes following his every move as he disappeared down the hallway. (a/n: I really seem to like that phrase,ne??)

Shurei was in front of the boss in no time, and it was impossible to see the response the young child got to his suggestion.

"Sir."

"What is it, Shurei?"

"Eyes-kun needs his medicine."

…_**to Yzak's room… **_

The blonde Hunter sat on his bed, a 'new' novel commanding all his attention. He had stopped by Estelle's desk a while ago, and was not surprised to see a brown paper bag atop several important documents.

Cautiously, he asked whether she had any missions for him at the end of the week. Her eyes twinkle and she responds a negative, absolutely nothing. Ray would handle the rest, so on and so forth and would you like to read this?

That last statement had caught him. He nodded, thanked her in advanced and watched from the turn of the hallway as she typed with furious speed on the laptop.

Well-read, basically second hand and Yzak wonders how she could work for the boss day and night and still get a chance to buy these books.

This one had a theme of black and red, Old English writing on both sides. _Master of the Keys by Domini Highsmith_. Ah, he remembers, the last book in the series she'd been following. It was thick, obviously a good read.

He found himself engrossed with it as the minutes flew by, and he hardly noticed the slight foot steps nearing his door. Or, if ever he did, he chose to ignore it for the time being.

He was already at the part where Simeon's foster son had been kidnapped by Cyrus de Figham, the dark priest, even as the child kept him alive- when a timid knock interrupted him.

Timid was never a word to describe people in the organization, but sometimes Yzak liked to fool himself.

Evidently, this was one of those times.

"Yzak?"

Tentative was never a word as well, but this new child had them both. He looked up, and let a small smile grace his lips. "Come in."

Placing the borrowed book on his desk, having already marked the page, he sat up on his bed. Eyes stepped inside, at once closing the door.

"Does it hurt?"

Eyes noted that while every other room in the building lacked life, save for a few, Yzak's room did not qualify to either categories.

The desk had several novels on it, and a stuffed wolf plushie presumably from Ray or Estelle. There was pistol on it as well, and a servicing kit peeked from beneath the stuffed animal.

It looked as if he had only come to stay for a while. A long weekend at a hotel, or something of the like.

"Eyes?"

Again, his voice is the one to break his reverie, and Eyes looks at the figure on the bed. Lightly sprawled, and he's glad to note that he doesn't look as tired as he did before.

A mumbled apology because Ray said it was polite and soon he found himself sitting near him, too hesitant to say anything at the moment.

He chances a look and is somewhat irked to find that the blonde was smiling. Letting his fingers dance on the back of fabric of his shirt (a/n: yes, they are THAT close/near to each other.), he pouted slightly.

"You're laughing at me…"

As if on cue, there was a short chuckle, and Eyes found himself being distracted by a hand that had come to rest on his head, fingers combing through his hair. He realized he liked it that way.

His hand went to his lap and the hand in his hair stopped as well.

"You came to see me."

A statement, little else, and yet Eyes felt as if he was being accused. Of course, he knew he didn't mean it, but still.

"Yeah…"

"Did something happen?"

The affirmative stirred something in him, and Yzak sat straighter. Hopefully it wasn't anything bad.

Eyes glanced at the door and made a hasty decision. He shifted his position, so he faced him now, and bit his lip.

It was lucky for him that the blonde had closed most of the distance between them, and Eyes chose not to look at his eyes anymore as he rested his form on the older teen's.

"You're warm…"

It was a futile explanation, and he thought he would be pushed away, so it came as a surprise when he felt a pair of arms wind around him, pulling him closer.

"…you are too…"

Yzak whispered, wanting to comfort the younger teen in his arms. It was impulse and something else, that something he knew both of them wouldn't dare touch.

He held him closer, the implications of what he was doing lost in thought. For now, he would hold him.

Eyes thought that it wouldn't last. No matter, just enjoy it for now.

…_**back to Narumi Apartment…**_

The map of the world was spread neatly on the table, and five pairs of eyes were all but glued to it.

A thick, black line connected Japan to China, and a red line did the same. The black marker sat undisturbed at the corner of said map. There was a ringing quiet that left an uneasy air.

Finally, it was Ryoko who broke the silence, looking around and asking, "So, where do we go next?"

Rio's hand shot up enthusiastically. "France! Let's go to France!" at this, she looked hopefully at Kanone.

The brunette smiled, but shook his head. "To look for the Hunters' HQ, it has to be somewhere close to China, thus Japan. Close in the sense that it would be inconspicuous if it tried hard enough, and just as far as possible. If those conditions aren't met, I don't think the orders would have been so direct."

Another round of silence and suddenly, Lun clapped. Hiyono looked at her, and both girls smiled.

Grabbing the marker, Lun drew a line from Japan to their next destination. In chorus, she and Hiyono asked, "Thailand, anyone?"

…_**to Ayumu's Room…**_

…

…

…

…

…

'_Che… when is he gonna wake up?...'_

…

…

…

'EYES!'

Ayumu shot up, the one name reverberating in his head. He could feel sweat trciklind down from his forehead and his arms and legs shaking and warm breath on his lips… eh?

The first thought that entered Ayumu's head was this: why the hell was Kousuke on top of him? Then he remembered he sat up quite quickly, thus, it was technically his fault that they were stuck this way. He seemed to have forgotten that he could just lie backwards and it would be fine.

One move and they would've kissed. Kousuke's mind went eerily quiet at the thought, focusing only on making his eyes as blank and surprised as it could. Which was not an easy task, it must be said.

Finally deciding that it would be useless to let the obviously indecisive Narumi-otouto handle the situation, Kousuke poked his chest to make him lie back down.

"Good morning, Princess! How was your beauty sleep?" ther ed head asked, smirk and all.

The brunette glared from the pillow he was currently leaning on. "Don't call me that."

"Grumpy I see."

"Shut up."

Kousuke sighed, standing up and walking towards the door. '1…2…3…'

"Wait… the bomb, where-"

"Exploded outside, remember?" hastily cutting off Ayumu's question and smirking at the obvious annoyance on the brunette's face, Kousuke allowed himself a mental pat on the back.

"Fine… Kanone, wh-"

Once again, Kousuke cut him off.

"Alive, murderous and well."

Another glare, albeit half-hearted, was sent to the Blade Child's direction.

"and Eyes-"

"Dead man next time Kanone sees him." Here, his voice took on a serious edge. The door was still closed and Ayumu was somehow resentful for it.

Kousuke's eyes looked extremely menacing when in the dark.

"… I see…"

A heavy silence filled the room as the brunette tried in vain to stop thinking of the green pin-pricks that were currently (and perhaps knowingly) pinning him down on the bed.

"We need to talk."

Ayumu's fist reaction was to stifle a laugh and a desperate try to control his face. That line was unwittingly giving him bad images. Bad images. Really bad.

_Are you breaking up with me?!_ Would have been the appropriate response, but then again…

"What exactly… _happened_ yesterday?"

So it was yesterday already? Ayumu berated himself for such grammar, and continued to look down at his hands, knowing that Kousuke would probably stalk over to him in seconds anyway, and then he would be in deep trouble. So much for his inside joke.

He never really knew why, but after the Blade Children had gone, he had a lamentable habit (was it lamentable?) of not being to lie to someone with particularly green eyes.

It was sad, and disturbing. When he tried to lie to his teacher, a young man, probably in his late twenties, about his Trig homework (he had a very valid reason… just that he couldn't pull it up just then), he made the mistake of actually looking at him.

He got detention and was made to blah, blah, blah- he forgot the rest, but he couldn't forget the hesitation he felt. Hesitation and that secret thing- that thing he didn't want to acknowledge.

"…"

Kousuke stopped glaring. It was hurting his eyes, and he was tired anyway. Really, staying up all night was not a very good idea. Besides, it's not as if the little Narumi couldn't protect himself anyway.

"Whatever. Just… just don't be all secretive next time, alright?"

With that, the door closed and Ayumu was left alone.

A sigh and he curls in bed trying to forget what just took place.

_Why should he worry about me in the first place…?_

Sleep was a rare comfort for the brunette, and his dreams are now plagued by something else.

… _**a few hours later… in the afternoon… above the sea!!...**_

"Hilbert-sama, we will be arriving at our destination in 20 minutes." The voice form the PA said, in that sullen monotonous voice only they could achieve.

Kanone looked out, and sure enough, it would take them only 20 minutes to descend on the long strip of the Thailand International Airport.

A light atmosphere had settled between the Children, Hiyono and Ayumu. The events from yesterday were now considered as taboo by anyone who didn't want to die via Kanone's very sharp daggers, and Ayumu felt slightly better after a quick apology to Kousuke when they were boarding the plane.

* * *

"_Look, Kousuke…" _

_The crowd made it all the more easier for him to say those words, and as he had a tendency to get lost in such crowds, Ayumu held on to the sleeve of the older boy's jacket._

"_Hm? What is it?"_

_Kousuke tried very hard to ignore the slight bubbling in his stomach. It was not good to harbor warm and fuzzy feelings –since WHEN had he described them as that?!- fro his friend right now. _

"…_Sorry… about… yesterday and before that. Nothing happened. Just had me at gunpoint… and then the drugging… sorry…"_

_He was not supposed to feel like a little lost child right now. Since when had he thought of himself as such????_

_The red head nodded, and pulled on his hand- his HAND-, saying, "It's fine. C'mon, we're gonna get left behind."_

_It was because he did not want to get left behind and because he decided it was perfectly normal fro Kousuke to make a mistake, that Ayumu held on. The red head thought similarly._

_It was not because of the warm fuzzy feelings in the pits of their stomachs. Nope, definitely not those. _

_At least, they liked to think so._

* * *

The red head even had the audacity to don a pair of black shades with silver rims, and tried to lighten up their somber leader by bartending.

Kanone offered the fakest smile that they could see, and emptied his glass before Kousuke or anyone had the chance to say anything.

Finally, they arrived, sleepy, a bit disoriented and generally tired.

Oh well, at least Kousuke decided to speak.

"(deep breath) Ah, Thailand! The Land of the Thai's!"

A few tourists chanced a look at him, whispered and went on. The red head, however, was not about to be spoiled.

Ryoko took Hiyono's handbag, a pink one, aptly from Pinkbox (copyright), and swung it hard on Kousuke's head.

"Mind your manners bone head!" she yelled.

"Well…" he began, "-we do have a skull as our head, which is a bone too, right?"

"Stop being a wise guy!"

And any other reply was cut off by the hand bag, then accompanied by Rio's.

…_**hotel-with-out-a-name-because-i-don't-know-what-to-name-it…**_

"Kanone-nii-chan, the others and I are going on a tour. Do you want to come with us?" Lun asked, poking her head in to the oldest Blade Child's room.

The brunette sat on a red arm chair, right next to the wide glass windows, seemingly in deep thought.

He shook his head, a physical 'no', and didn't even bother to look at the younger girl. She pouted and shut the door, walking back to the gang assembled by the elevator.

_Kanone-nii-chan…_

She cared deeply for her older brother, but right now, she knew as well as anyone, there was really nothing they could do.

Kanone was left alone with his thoughts, strange and dark and eerily close to the truth that he now remembered why he always liked the saying 'Lying isn't the best policy, but it's the only one we humans know'.

"_If Eyes… If that __**Hunter**__ gets in our way… we'll kill him…"_

_Thunder and lightning pelted the skies and drenched everything in sight._

"_**We'll kill him."**_

_**­**_

_Do I… do I really want to kill him? If I do… it would be like killing my own heart… _

Kanone managed a soft chuckle at this.

_Not like I'll still have one after all this is over._

…_**Bangkok-Thailand-Porcelain-Wares-Shop-street-whatever!!...**_

Hiyono, Lun, Ryoko, and Rio were all busy looking for their own particular souvenirs and the moderately normal Kousuke was arguing with a man selling mangoes("I said, _how much for the mangoe?!_"), so Ayumu deemed it reasonable to meander down the street.

He had the red head's cell number anyway. A walk, he decided, would be good, and the fresh air would definitely do him some.

Reaching the cross road, he settled for looking around, feeling mildly curious. Suddenly, something caught his eye. A small figure, presumably a boy, wearing a gray hoodie with black sleeves and pants, a few paces from him, appeared to be catching his breath.

He turned his head from side to side, obviously checking for any cars. Deciding it was relatively safe, he decided to cross the road.

A rather LOUD honking sound surprised the brunette enough to make him look in the other direction.

_HOLY SHIT!_

(A/N: I love it when he swears!)

An impossibly large 10 wheeler truck was coming towards his intersection, and the boy hadn't noticed it. Or at least it seemed, as he looked around and abruptly froze.

People were whispering to one another, wondering aloud whether they should help or not. _Damn it!_ Ayumu took a deep breath-

"Look out!"

The brunette shouted as he ran towards the boy, grabbed him, and almost rolled to the other side of the street before the truck came to pass.

The boy was shaking, obviously from the recent shock, and Ayumu felt no better. Really, just because he could survive bombs and daggers and previously insane comrades didn't mean he could literally handle everything.

"Are you ok?" he asked breathily, still aware that they were sitting on cold hard concrete. _Gee, thanks, industrialization_.

The boy nodded, his shock of silver hair now free from the hood, albeit still somewhat scared. Brilliant purple eyes looked up at Ayumu's honey brown one's.

"Thanks… for saving me…"

The kid was alright, Ayumu mused, cute even. He was glad he saved him.

"…mister…"

But then again…

"…just call me Ayumu kid." He sighed and got up, watching as the child mirrored his movements. His big, buggy eyes(a/n: I am so warped!)blinked and fixed themselves on Ayumu. A difficult task for such a small child.

He had to strain his neck to look up.

"Ok."

"What's your name?"

The child smiled brightly.

"Shurei."

* * *

…_**HHQ..hunters head quarters…**_

Ray Inoue was getting worried.

_Where was he?!!!_

He sighed, continuing his brisk walk down the halls, his long legs carrying him effortlessly. The white lab coat which was his symbol of authority in the organization swayed listlessly in the air, as the blonde opened each and every door he came across.

Oh, look, Yzak's room.

He gathered himself, knowing it wouldn't be nice at all if the younger blonde were to find him merely sweeping into his room.

"Yzak-dahling?"

"Yes?"

Reclusive. He didn't like that.

"May I come in?"

"Am I insane?"

Ray grumbled, opening the door anyway. "Yes, but we just don't see it Dr. Jekyll. Oh my." He stopped short at the scene.

His young charge (Yzak, he wa still a child, no matter what anyone told him) was sitting on his bed, their new companion blissfully asleep in his arms.

A smirk worked its way on to his lips.

"_Oh_. Alright, I'll leave you two alone now!" he said in a theatrical whisper.

Yzak rolled his eyes, and motioned for him to be quiet. "What is it?"

"Shurei's missing and I can't find him!" the Doctor complained, still in a whisper. He sniffed audibly, causing the silver haired teen to stir.

The blonde glared, and began to coax Eyes back to sleep. "I don't know where he is. Ask Estelle." His hand lingered on Eyes' back, as he gave Ray The Look.

The Look. Definition: a look given only to someone annoying at the moment of annoyance or afterwards to make them shut up, leave or both.

In this situation, Ray was smart enough to go with the last one.

He closed the door, and proceeded to interrupt more Hunters, calling out,

"Shurei!"

* * *

The park near by, as Ayumu now knew, served great crepes. Chocolate for himself, and something he had trouble repeating fro the younger boy.

Shurei.

He seemed like such a nice kid, too short for his age. _"I'm ten years old!"_ and too naïve. He was pale, moon-kissed would be a better word, and most admirable were his eyes. Brilliant purple eyes, dark and nowhere near to pink or lilac but plain purple, glowing with all the innocence of such a child.

"So… " he began, a bit cautiously because he knew that questions like this tended to unnerve some people –at least people he knew-"- where are you parents, Shurei?"

The child looked up at him, and continued to eat his snack. "Gone. I don't know where." _It's lies, all lies and I smile inwardly because it's so funny_. "But he takes care of me." _He, there were many he's, and several her's but they weren't as close._

"Oh." Was all the brunette could say. He didn't want to pry in to the child's past and they kept silent as they finished their crepes. _Strange, suspicious child_.

He should ask Kousuke to go with him sometime. Along with everyone else of course.

…_**HHQ…**_

"That's it! Yzak!"

Yzak sighed, and Eyes was most definitely roused from sleep by the loud yell from outside his door. "…Hmmm?"

"Shush, it's just Ray. Shurei's missing and apparently he hasn't found him yet." A wry smile worked its way to Yzak's lips and Eyes just nodded, leaning back again.

"He's calling you."

"I know."

"Are you leaving?"

"Most likely."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Stay here until I get back?" he ventured. The blue-eyed teen nodded, and Yzak stood up, grabbing his jacket and his Valken, the gun that he never let anyone touch.

Eyes wondered how long it would be until he got back. He decided to sleep it off.

"Coming Ray."

* * *

"OWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ayumu snapped back to reality as he heard the young boy shout. "huh?"

"Itte!!!!!!!getitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoff!!!Get it off, Ayumu-kun!!!!!" Shurei shouted as a monkey (A/n: Senior Macaco???!!?!!) sank its teeth in to his finger.

_Then again… maybe I'm wrong…_

The brunette sighed and pinched the monkey behind its ear, and Shurei tearfully thanked him as the monkey ran off back to its owner.

"Th-thank you… Ayu-Ayumu-kun…" a sniff, and the child cradled his finger like it had been burned.

"Don't worry about it."

…_**back to the Blade Children…**_

"What do you mean he's lost?!" Kousuke shouted as they finally noticed the disappearance of the little detective. He clenched his fingers into fists and tried to stop glaring.

"Kousuke-nii-san, he might be…" Lun immediately regretted assuming the worst as Kousuke visibly paled.

"Oh no, it's raining!" Hiyono said, wiping a drop that fell on her cheek. "Quick, over to- Kanone?" Kousuke stood, as the brunette walked towards them.

His face was placid enough, almost like he just woke up from a nap. "I thought you might need this."

He handed them umbrellas, pink fro Hiyono and Lun, blue for Ryoko and Rio, black for himself and the green one for Kousuke.

"Ano… Kanone-nii-chan, Ayumu-nii-chan is gone…" timidly, Lun and Hiyono wlaked behind their leader, wondering if they should have been more careful.

"I know… but don't worry Lun." He smiled for her, it was the least he could do. "I'm sure he's safe, he'll be back."

The smile stayed in place, somewhat stiffened, as if he could hear what Lun thought next.

_But that's what you thought when Eyes-nii-chan disappeared…_

"Oi, Kousuke, did you hear? Hilbert says that he'll be fine." Ryoko called over shoulder, and Kousuke merely nodded.

"Yeah…." _Something doesn't feel right…_ he thought. _You better be alright Ayumu_.

They continued walking, the rain getting harder just as they neared the hotel.

"Kousuke, hurry up! The rain's falling harder!" Rio called, crossing the street. Kousuke almost got left behind, and he began to pick up the pace when-

THUD!

"Sorry, dude, didn't mean to!" he apologized, it was a pretty hard bump. Then, realizing that maybe the person couldn't understand he-

"Watch out next time, child." The blonde stranger said, already walking away. The rain fell on him, and he seemed to not mind at all.

Kousuke looked at him weirdly, _I'm not a kid…_ and shrugged, following the others.

Had he stayed, he would have heard the stranger's calls of…

"Shurei!"

…_**hotel-with-out-a-name-because-i-don't-know-what-to-name-it…**_

A chorus of different pet names and nick names for Ayumu rang out from the group as they saw their resident recluse.

"…You guys…"

Kanone and the others had just arrived to find Ayumu wet and presumably alright, staring at the pair that the gang had not seen, leaving.

"Ayumu-nii-chan, you're soaked!" Lun exclaimed, bringing out a towel for him. "Mou, you might get pneumonia or a fever!" she pouted.

"It's ok. Kousuke." He looked at the red head, who was looking weirdly at him. Finally he sighed. "Where, god so tell me _where_, the hell have you been?" he asked wearily.

"Just… around…" with that said, he continued to stand there, waiting fro Kousuke to move. He _was_ covering him with his umbrella after all.

Kousuke gritted his teeth and began to walk, glaring at nothing all the while.

…_**the next day…Kanone's room…around 8-ish…**_

The golden eyed Blade Child stirred from his spot on the floor- floor? Oh, right, he fell from the "tall building" now obviously, his bed.

He had nightmare, most likely, and he was now suffering from back pains. Dammit, he felt old! He blinked a couple of times, just to get used to the light, and stood up, walking to the bathroom.

Looking at himself in the mirror, four words rang out in his head.

"Il a le Diablo…"

* * *

…_**when they got back… yesterday… last night, more likely…**_

Kanone held his breath as the voice on the phone introduced himself. Or, lack thereof.

"You need not know my name, Protean! Formalities matter little with me. Rest assured, or otherwise, your Ice Prince is indubitably safe, no harm has come to him."

The voice sounded highly amused, and Kanone's mood darkened.

"Is he now?" great, now the phone was his enemy. "Glad to hear that.., by the way, did you fix that glitch? You know, the one that makes him almost irresistible to kill?" the phone's not guilty!! Stop glaring daggers at it!!

The voice chuckled before answering.

"Sad to say, you cannot rescue him anymore. And **don't **tell me you don't want to, because I **know** that's what you've been **aching **to do. Anyway, back to the point!

He has seen the light, I believe he told you that? Not to encourage betrayal, but what he saw? It wasn't pretty. Now I give you, since I am so considerate, a chance that would normally beget a very severe punishment." The voice drawled, and Kanone thought vaguely about how this guy could fit in with Victorian Era ladies.

"And what, pray tell, is this chance that you speak of?"

"I am inviting you to join us, great Protean, but not by force. It is your choice to be with us, or stand,oh so weakly, against us?" venom in those words and Kanone could barely leash his wrath.

"You dare ask me that question? Well, Hunter, my answer is no. If I have to betray once again, just to be with filth like you, I'd rather shoot myself. At one point, I would have. But not now. No more."

A silent moment, and the voice was laughing, amused and over joyed- hateful. Kanone glared.

"Hear that? Oh, Eeys-dahling, did you hear that? I'm so sorry Wolfy, but it's hjilarious! Alright dahling, here…hahaha…oh, that was-" Kanone never knew what it was, for Eyes only spoke a few words before the phone was slammed down.

"**Il a le Diablo. Watch your pawns, Blade Child. They might just turn against you."**

* * *

Kanone arrived at the breakfast table at the worst possible time.

"That's it Narumi! I don't care anymore! Do you hear me?! I don't care anymore!!"

Kousuke left the table, positively fuming.

He missed Ayumu's response,

"You think I care if you don't Asazuki??!!"

… and the sight of hot, wet tears falling down the brunette's face.

"…**They might just turn against you."**

**OWARI**

**

* * *

FREYA: finally! Over!! pardon typos, i worked hard for this one!!!**

**Dr. Jeremy: live and the world rejoices. Die and it laughs in your face. Hover in between and watch it try to make you more interesting.**


	14. spice of life part one

Freya: hola, muchachos¿Cómo es usted todo? (How are you all?) hehe, something random to start the day, ne? anyway, I borrowed someone from Kazuya-sama, and if you've read Till My Heart Aches No More… you should know him!

Killroy: WHERE IS KILLROY?

Freya: … introducing, Killroy-

Killroy: KILLROY KNOWS YOU! YOU ARE THE CRAZY GIRL WHO EATS BUNNIES FOR BREAKFAST! KILLROY MUST DEFEAT YOU!

Freya: yeah, Killroy, the half-metal alchemist. He's amazing folks! (sarcastic grin)

Killroy: KILLROY CAN TURN BREAD INTO CRUMBS USING THE SCIENCE OF AAAALLLLCCCHHHHEEEEMMMMYYYYY!!!!!!!!

Freya: hehe, he's funny ain't he? Comunque (anyway), today's escapade will be long and arduous, tough and everything just got tougher for the Blade Children!!

Killroy: KILLROY WILL PRESENT THE WORMINGS!!!

Freya: I think you mean warnings, Killroy.

Killroy: …WHO ARE YOU???!!!! AND WHRE IS KILLROY, THE HALF-METAL ALCHEMIST???!!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO KILLROY'S BROTHER, MIGUELITO?????!!!!!!!!

Freya: yeah, I will leave Kazuya-sama to introduce Miguelito to you in her next chapter. For now, I will answer some reviews.

**To phoenix of hell: **nice to see you really like it, I was afraid the typos were gonna be the death of me. I was hurrying! You guys have been waiting for ages. Comunque, this chapter, I think all you yaoi fangirls will like… and the summary will finally have pairings!!!

**To Evil Riggs: **err… nice review??? … uhm, I can't say much, cause you didn't say much.

Freya: hmmm, I wonder where NET and Hiei'sTreeHuggingGirlfriend are????

Killroy: KILLROY WILL LOOK FOR THEM USING THE POWERFUL SCIENCE OF AAAALLLLCCCHHHHEEEEMMMMYYYYY!!!!!!!!

Freya: anyway, here's this chapter's warnings! Oh, and phoenix-san, that poem was made by me. Spur of the moment really, glad you liked it! Hope you like this one too!

_**Weave in and out of the flames, my little shadow child…**_

_**Let fire and fire touch and back away- dance, dance, dance in trance!**_

_**Sing of love and sin with lust, can you keep what was never yours? **_

_**Or was it so close you thought it would never leave?**_

_**Fools who thought Eden was a garden of peace, be fools again and think: **_

_**Angels never break!**_

_**Let fire consume you, wrath begets only wrath- one step closer to the dangerous tango**_

_**Please don't cry, you look beautiful even though…**_

_**Oh, hast thou forgotten? This tale is of legend old and true… **__**the title of the latest chapter in the lives of the cursed children…**_

_**The Spice of Life**_

* * *

_Kanone arrived at the breakfast table at the worst possible time. _

"_That's it Narumi! I don't care anymore! Do you hear me?! I don't care anymore!!"_

_Kousuke left the table, positively fuming._

_He missed Ayumu's response,_

"_You think I care if you don't Asazuki??!!"_

… _and the sight of hot, wet tears falling down the brunette's face._

"…_**They might just turn against you."**_

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Narumi-san…" Hiyono looked worriedly at the brunette, trying to think of words to comfort him. She didn't have the chance to, as he wiped his tears with his sleeve and walked away.

There was a glass of orange juice dripping on the table, upturned and staining the white linen.

Kanone had to blink several times to regain some sort of composure. He was sure his face was crinkling into that despicable smile, and he was also quite sure he was trying to stop himself. The brunette wondered if he looked funny.

"Kanone-nii-chan…" it was Lun, her dark red eyes forlorn and as worried as the girl beside her. Rio tried to comfort the blonde, as Ryoko sighed and held her head.

"…what happened?" he cautiously asked. It seemed as if all the girls had somehow known this would happen, judging from Ryoko's vehement mumbling.

"Simple, Kousuke was being stupid, Ayumu – surprisingly- was being stupider and they clashed. Boys,boys,boys…" she began to rub her temples, her mumblings not ceasing one bit.

Kanone looked to Lun for an explanation. He found her the calmest one of them all.

"Lun, tell me what happened." He gestured to the table next to them, citing it better to let the other girls breathe.

The redhead nodded and stood up; sitting on the chair Kanone had pulled out for her. Golden yellow looked questioning and frankly baffled, and the crimson orbs of the 14-year-old held some kind of regretful wisdom.

Odd pairs were never a trouble here.

"So… please begin."

Lun took a deep breath and frowned.

"Kanone-nii-chan, it's important for you to know that I glimpsed something. Something aside the constant darkness brought by my precog abilities. I'm sorry they aren't much help." The girl apologized.

The older Blade Child shook his head. "No, survival is our top priority. I'm sure your abilities will come up sooner or later, it's a matter of Blade Child I guess."

"Hai. Anyway, I saw something. Right now, I think this is to be our top priority."

Kanone looked askance at her.

"It began last night, when all I could hear were footsteps and mumbled words from somewhere else- this cut through them."

_

* * *

Footsteps and footsteps- all different and yet they carried a monotony that she didn't recognize. She twisted and turned in her bed and all the while the visions –how could they be visions? All she saw were blurs! - did nothing to wake her._

_Muffled laughter, and it sounded childish and like a little boy's._

_Silence and a gun shot, clapping and it seemed like people were leaving…_

_God, the footsteps were there again… wait, they sounded different. Familiar. How could they? She questions her own hearing, and proof comes with a halt of the horrid sounds._

"Oi, Ayumu!"

_And there were pictures now, her older brother and Ayumu-nii-chan. Huh, Kousuke-nii-chan's smile looked forced._

"What is it Asazuki? I'm sleepy."

_She saw him cringe inwardly, heard him berate himself for the careless use of words. Kousuke-nii-chan looked serious now._

"You didn't answer my question earlier, and mind you, I collect with interest… awhile ago, where were you?"

_She heard him mutter darkly in his head, things unsaid and thoughts forbidden, he locked them out, not so strong though. They would break out soon._

"I just got lost. Nothing special, this IS my first time in the land of the Thai's after all."

_He bit his tongue, and narrowed his eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice. She heard a confession, a monotonous hum._

"… _**I can't lie to him…"**_

"Hm. True… but seriously, where were you? Can't you tell an old pal about your day?"

_He was trying to control himself, and she heard echoes of those things and she knew they were lies. He was worried, and he wanted to protect him suddenly._

_She laughed quietly, guessing that even HE didn't know he was like this. _

"It's my business if I want to keep a few things to myself. Like I said though, **nothing** happened today."

_She knew he knew that Kousuke-nii-chan knew he was lying. It was easy, he was uneasy again, and he couldn't think well. _

"Why are you so worried about me anyway?"

_She stopped giggling. Looking up, she saw her older brother recoil almost instantly. Ooh, the hints were there, the blood coming and going from his face and the race of excuses in his mind._

_The angry one got there first. Figures._

"Oh nothing, just that I can't let our precious Little Narumi get hurt while he's away from home… basically the only place Luck comes to him."

_She felt stung by that comment, and soon realized her Ayumu-nii-chan must have felt that._

"…_**I thought he actually worried…"**_

_And she saw a flash of a dream, recurring, it seems, until weeks ago… maybe it was just a thought though…_

"… _**I thought he actually cared…"**_

_Even her Ayumu-nii-chan felt it. She was worried now, they were both hiding behind walls and arguing pointlessly when she knew they wanted to stop._

_Men, she decided, were never to be trusted with matters of the heart._

_She wrinkled her nose, especially men who were closely connected to the Blade Children. They had way too much to bear._

"I guess you're right Asazuki. We're not technically the best of friends, so I wonder who would get blamed?"

_Accusations and bitterness in that voice. Cringing, she bit her lip. Kousuke-nii-chan was surprised and hurt. Hurt?_

_She blinked. Hurt? How? Ah, there it goes. This time it came from her nii-chan._

"…_**I thought we were. At least… in a twisted way…"**_

_Heaven forbid the words that would come. This was pointless, she wanted to scream, but she didn't know if they could hear her._

"…we aren't,huh?... what, are you saying you'll be like Rutherford now? Cause if you haven't noticed, he and I aren't the best of friends either."

_Again with those evil implications and now she really wanted to wake up- wake up and coax them into neutrality, at least. Maybe make them kiss and make-up- she giggled at that, realizing the slightly wayward track her mind had gone on to._

_Ayumu-nii-chan was shaking inside. _

"… _**I would never betray you…"**_

"What the hell is you problem Asazuki? Why do you have a fucking stick up your ass just because I got lost?!"

_She held her head, sighing. Violence begets violence. No question about it, they were meant for it._

"Look… what I said… I – I didn't mean that…"

_She looked up. Ayumu-nii-chan was apologizing, hanging his head, and yet she felt as if he regretted it. Bitter was his wording in his head._

"…_**please just go, just leave and let me be alone…"**_

"It doesn't mean what you think it means."

"…_**please don't care…"**_

_She wanted to sniff at the confession – for what else could she call them? They were what he wanted to say, yet never actually did- and the sullen feeling she felt afterwards._

_She realized he wanted to cry too._

_Kousuke-nii-chan's mind was blurry now, as if he was trying to suppress some giant beast. Anger was too light of a word to describe it, and she knew he didn't want anymore of it._

"…_**let me worry about you…"**_

_He wanted to, really wanted to and yet he couldn't see the reason behind it._

"Then what **does** it mean? Should I stop worrying now, have you gotten stronger over the two years that I've been gone from your sight?"

"_**Should I stop caring about what you do and let the Hunters have you without a fight?"**_

_She knew it was true, and here was definite proof! But… they were fighting over such a trivial matter; she knew it would end badly._

_Ayumu-nii-chan was mad now, mad at having been questioned- he was strong, wasn't he?_

_And there it goes again, all the red head wanted to do was push him down, was that it? He didn't think he was good enough? Did he even trust him?_

"…You don't trust me, do you? All you ever want to do is doubt myself! Why the hell…"

"That doesn't have anything to do with this."

_Kousuke-nii-chan seethed, and he was actually eating it up inside. He trusted the Little Narumi, why couldn't he be trusted back?_

"…_**I trust you… but you don't trust me… why is that?"**_

…

"_**I would never betray you…"**_

"Right. Question me all you want Asazuki…"

_She bit her lip again, no please don't…_

_The shaking had subsided, and he was cracked now, broken and unable to think clearly. Kousuke-nii-chan was regretting his words as well, but he couldn't do anything about it- he was too blind to see._

_Please don't… she begged…_

Ayumu looked him straight in the eye.

Kousuke met the stare and dared him to speak.

"I have **nothing **to say to you."

_She shivered… and she was gone from his mind…too soon, in fact, that she missed their thoughts…_

"…_**nothing that you would ever want to hear... from someone…**_

"…_**someone you don't even trust…"**_

* * *

"…So they argued? About something like that?" Kanone looked disbelieving, but Lun knew he was mulling it over inside.

"It is so. I don't how I got there, but I heard every word… and every thought…" she looked down, deciding that this was hard to digest as well.

"I see… and now they're pissed at each other because they weren't saying what they wanted to say to each other last night?" the older brunette drummed his fingers on the table, quietly thinking about the abrupt argument of the two.

"So, what did you glimpse that is to be our top priority now? I doubt it was that, as it doesn't exactly fit the description of a glimpse." A small smile and it was returned.

Lun sat up, smiling knowingly. "Well, I hope it doesn't come as a shock to you, but…"

* * *

…_**to the Hunter's Temporary HQ… just so you know, they're in India… just now… Estelle POV…**_

Something stirred in the midst of towers of paperwork, maps, magazines, second-hand books and funny coffee mugs. It reached up to the shorter stack of magazines, fumbling for a pair of small, round glasses… which, coincidentally, were atop an empty mug next to the door.

"Really…where is that stupid little-"

"Ms.Gainsborough? were you looking for this?" It was Eyes Rutherford, the new addition to the group and an absolute sweetie, quote Ray Inoue. Though I have to agree (giggle), HE IS SO ADORABLE!!

I stood up and brushed my skirt, trying in vain to straighten it out. Well, so much for the start of a short horror story. Shoulder length blue hair tied in a lazy bun, check. Glasses from le petit ange, check. Secretary-uniform in a shade of near-to-forget-me-not-blue, check. Outfit complete!

I smiled brightly at our new arrival. Funny thing, Ray was just talking about him yesterday.

"Oui, vous remercier le petit renard." He frowned; I guess he couldn't understand French that well. But still, _le petit renard_ sounded much cuter than little fox.

"Sorry Ange, I'm just this way. So, what brings you to this edge of the office? Shouldn't you be with Ray or Yzak?" I asked, trying to find my way back into my desk without having to go under it.

Funny thought, that's how Ray saw me when he went in yesterday. Hmm, now if only I could remember what we talked about- I'm sure it was pretty important, he did have his glasses with him then- right? Oh dear, I'm forgetting.

A small cough caught my attention and I turned, albeit with a bit of difficulty, to the little _renard_. "Yes?"

"…ano… Ms. Gainsborough, why would I be with… Yzak?" he looked utterly confused, and I mentally hit myself with the Cornwall version of the English dictionary. (a/n: a very big dictionary indeed)

Laughing nervously – and hopefully he wouldn't sense that- I turned back to my pile of mugs. Oh, dear, I think I lost Mr. Eggpopper! Oh,dear…

"Ah, rien, rien (nothing,nothing)! It's nothing Ange… I must have lost my head somewhere… anyway, _could _you drop by his room for me? Ask him if he's done with my novel? I really, _really_ want to read it and ask him if coffee-candies can substitute for his 4 of his lost bullets. Merci!"

I pushed him out with my words, and Dieu (God) knows how long _that_ could last. I sigh, hearing the short click of my almost non-operational door, and partly berate the memory of yesterday for my actions.

Could memories scold you? Apparently, they could, as the one I kept trying to remember burst through the proverbial gate and went here forth to my head.

'Le ciel sait…' (Heaven knows…)

* * *

"_Shu!! Shurei, where are you?! Shu!!" _

_Footsteps and stomp-steps and his loud voice going round the halls. I sighed, pushing my glasses up for the nth time and trying to get back under my desk. Maybe I should clean up sometime. Something like, with a top-of-the-line vacuum cleaner?_

_Yes, something like that. I wonder if Ray has one. Oooh, maybe Yzak could go get one for me!!_

_BANG!_

_Went my poor door._

_Ray, don't take it out on the door… I almost wanted to whimper. Almost, because whimpering in front of Ray Inoue had a tendency to relive certain occurrences in the man's past that I certainly wouldn't want to be witness to if only because they might kill me._

_I shivered… when I met him; the man was as cold as ice._

"_Estelle? Estelle-dear, what ever are you doing under the table?"_

_I carefully crawled out from under Ron-kun, my table, and looked up. Ray Inoue, for all his work as resident doctor and co-evil planner –it makes me giggle to think of it that way, in a crazy way- was a work of art._

_Uhm, Venus-style art. I'm not saying he's down right effeminate… fine, he's down right effeminate to the point that he's more effeminate than me or Black Peony. And SHE used to be a MODEL._

_Long blonde hair in a state of beautiful disheveled-ness, always held back by an invisible string, I think it was white, a clear and pure white, and soft gray eyes that managed to make anyone succumb to their will. _

_Of course, I don't think of you __**that**__ way… I know you in and out and that in turn to me. We're friends, pals in the same line of work, drinking buddies when you would suddenly come in with margarita's and White Russian's and Carlo Rosi's._

_You're a funny man, Ray._

"_Estelle-dear?"_

"_Oh, hey… sorry, tuned out. So, still haven't found Shu?" I stood up, gesturing to the sofa that was immaculately clean and devoid of junk. Miracle in the midst of chaos, ne?_

_Ray –cute name, right? - nodded as he sat down, his white lab coat looking like a dress if you looked hard enough. Obviously, I was. "No, not yet. And I came across a lot of things while I was looking for him!" at this point, the well practiced smile was there, and oh, what would I give to see it stay there._

"_Oh? What things? And don't let me say 'oh' again, it's girly."_

_Laughing a melodious laugh, he smiled –still smiled- and nodded._

"_Fine then, deal. Things, I say, because you don't normally see Black Peony-san with a face mask in the lounge waiting for the coffee pot and the man supposedly the watcher of our video cameras watching Oprah and Tyra Banks, possibly debating over the two doing such!"_

_I smiled at his accent and wording. He was English, that I could remember. I tuned out to remember how I met him. Yup, fairly rainy and fairly indolent that day seemed._

_Antiques shop for the boss just because he broke his Worchester cup. I almost sniffed at the memory, but hell, think Estelle! He was there, god-like as ever, though evil-god-like. He was having a staring competition with the boss and I couldn't tell who was winning- just like before, I realized, when he'd asked me to join._

_Lovely little bridge in the middle of spring- perfect for marriage proposals and then he came, after Mama died, and offered me the job. Secretary, perhaps? Did I know how to take a human life?_

_Course I did. Mama didn't die because the kitchen knife got a life of its own._

_Course I did. Papa didn't die because the electric shaver went zig zag in his internal organs._

_Auntie didn't die because the car's brakes failed by itself._

_I got the job, and there we were, about to take someone else. It felt funny in a way. He said yes too quickly, and they talked for a while after he told me to rest. They came out reasonably better. _

_Ah, time to listen in again. This part's interesting, his glasses gleamed._

"_And finally, I got to Yzak-dahling's room." He dramatically paused, holding up Mr.Eggpopper, my cute mug that I had forgotten about._

"_You had him?"_

"_You gave him to me."_

"…_go on…"_

_A wicked smile, a wicked, wicked, evil and somehow beautiful smile. This man needed to be a model, I can feel it!!! _

"_Eyes-dahling was asleep, in Yzak-dahling's __**bed**__, on Yzak-dahling __**himself.**__ Now, what do you have to be distracted from __**that**__?" oops, guess he noticed before._

_Anyway, reaction time!_

"_He what?! Oh, Ray, do you think they could- I mean, if they are- or maybe they're just-" _

_Being stopped by a look says a lot about my courage while talking to him, doesn't it?_

"_It could mean what your fangirlish mind is thinking of, or…" here he proceeded to take off his glasses, my only shield from his magnificent gray eyes –I sound SO girly- and looked at the floor._

"_It's working."_

_A whisper, ever so slight and like a breath of feathers that I had to strain a bit to hear it. Of course, I knew what he was talking about, but I had to know why, nee? Great, talking to myself, wonderful Estelle. Wonderful._

"_How…?" not much thought after that, it seems._

"_It wasn't supposed to be this quick, or this close, but I'm not complaining! It's actually working… the C-18 is __**actually **__working. He's loosening his shields and one has already come out, now we only have to wait for the other."_

"_If, there's the if. What if-"I tried to interject but he immediately cut me off._

"_There are no if's, and's or but's… it's working, and it's working fast."_

_His soft gray eyes turned a dark silver, and I don't know how that was even possible. Oh well, things turned odd in our line of work after all._

_He looked at me, with some sort of manic pleasure._

"_Eyes is breaking."_

0-00-0

Yup, after that, he stood up, put on his glasses and went. Happy little owl, isn't he? Sarcasm told me to say it like that, so take that, optimists! Sticking my tongue out at particularly nothing, I grinned.

Ooh, Ray could be such a darling at times. I'm not saying he's a down-right flirt, but I think he's got human pheromone oozing out of him.

Admitting defeat, my desk finally allowed me refuge on my wonderful chair and look what I have, a little note.

'_For Estelle'_

Said the intricate writing, and look what was right beside it.

Mr. Eggpopper.

* * *

…_**to Yzak's room…**_

There was something terribly wrong, Yzak decided, to have the person you just cuddled with –term now used loosely, no matter how _not_ loosely it was used before- ask you why you were holding their hand.

Granted, it had been Eyes himself to place that cold hand there, in his warm hand, and sit down next to him, as if it was habit, but the look of confusion on the boy's face… there was something terribly wrong. He shifted discreetly on his bed.

Both boys were seated, and both wore looks of something close to confusion.

"…I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" blue eyes tempered with worry and something of close kin to befuddlement, and Yzak found he couldn't quite let go.

"It's alright." He found himself saying, this child… what the hell did Ray do to him?

Eyes tried to reason with himself. Surely, he must've had a valid answer as to why he held this man's hand upon entering his room, _which_, strangely enough, he knew exactly the location of.

His frown deepened, Why did that woman send him here? And why did that blonde doctor have him in his office, lying on the cot, then suddenly hugging him and sending him to that?

And _where_ was Kanone?

_

* * *

Forget him!_

* * *

A flash of black and he was shaking, pressed against this man, Yzak, as he held him.

"Eyes? Are you alright?" concern in that voice, and he was _so_ warm. When had it gotten so cold? Eyes felt himself slipping, falling into black subconscious.

Yzak was worried. The child was trembling for God's sake, and he seemed to have forgotten even being here. He sighed, as the tense bundle in his arms relaxed, and finally, rested against him.

"…Eyes?"

The silver haired teen opened his eyes, and lifted his head up a bit. The action caused a fairly decent amount of silvery purple hair to fall over his right eye. (a/n: ain't he cute like this?)

"Yzak?" it was tentative, as it had been when he came to his room just hours ago. A hand fisted around his shirt and the shaking boy that was Eyes Rutherford burrowed himself deeper into Yzak's arms.

"Yes?" he was going to ask Ray later, the boy was shivering, and he opted for tightening his hold on him. He wondered briefly if he had fallen asleep.

"…I don't remember…"

He looked. Eyes raised his head, blue eyes brimming with tears. Clutching Yzak's shirt almost desperately, he spoke in a small, scared voice.

"… I can't remember anything…"

Yzak swore loudly in his head. That was it. picking up the younger boy was easy, since he was already clinging to him.

_Ray Inoue, you better have a good explanation for this._

The blonde Hunter opened the door, his grip unnaturally tight. The door rebounded twice before fully closing, and as Eyes lay in his arms, sobbing quietly, he found a sudden urge to say something desperate. Desperate but true.

"Eyes."

"…yes?"

"…"

But he couldn't.

_I'll protect you. I promise._

* * *

…_**to the Blade Children!!!... already in India folks, duh much... hehehe…**_

Lun and Hiyono 'ooh-ed' as they walked away from their hotel, opting instead for a nice, long tour, watching as the India sun bounced off the dozens of shops at their view.

"…kirei na, deshou? (pretty, right?)" Hiyono turned to the younger girl. The red head nodded. Raising her hand to shield her face form the sun, she answered,

"Sou." _…I wonder what they'll do now… mou, Ayumu-nii-chan, Kousuke-nii-chan… they're both so stubborn…_

Behind them walked Rio and Ryoko, the older of the two practically twitching.

"Ryoko, how many times do I have to tell you, Kousuke will be fine. Just because he ran out of the hotel in speed that could have matched yours doesn't mean he won't be back for lunch."

Rio was trying hard to convince her, but she herself was a bit worried. Things weren't going well, plus the threat of the Hunters- was a day off too much to ask for??? The silverhaired girl sighed, linking her arm with her much taller friend.

"Anyway, let's have fun! Who knows, we'll probably find a hot sporty guy for ya?" she winked at Ryoko who blushed a bit, grinning all the same. "Good idea, how about we find a midget for _you_?"

"Ryoko!"

Kanone brought up the rear, opting for actually enjoying the trip, rather than sulking, as the Little Narumi was currently doing. Of course, Kanone dragged him along, and so, he had to suffer the consistent mumblings and curse words.

"Ne, Ayumu-kun-"

"What?" the brunette quickly snapped. Kanone sweatdropped.

"…Ah, nothing, nothing."

"Che."

And thus started Kanone Hilbert's tour of India, a very grumpy Ayumu in tow.

After the initial blur of the city street, the girls had begged Kanone to let them shop around. Apparently, that had also caused Ayumu demanding his return to the hotel. Kanone had to agree to both.

As they were looking over some trinkets, Lun looked over to her older sister, Ryoko. "Onee-chan." Brown-red eyes turned and regarded her with a somewhat tired resignation. "Yes?"

A bright smile was on Lun's face. "Please don't worry about Kousuke-nii-chan, I'm sure he's doing all right."

The older brunette smiled, albeit a small one.

"…You're right… arigatou, Lun-chan."

Then, it cracked into a grin.

"Oh yeah, Lun-chan, I've been meaning to ask you something… you and Kanone seem to be getting along well…" the grin was not going away, even as Ryoko pointed at the brunette not too far off with her thumb.

Rio was watching, smirking despite herself. "Sou, sou da ne, Lun-chan. I noticed you and Kanone were talking this morning… what about?"

Lun was sweatdropping. Hiyono was elsewhere, she couldn't count on her Onii-chan now and her smile was wearing off. _Mou!!!_

"Ah, nothing! We weren't talking about anything, Rio-nee-chan, Ryoko-nee-chan… zen-zen! Absolutely nothing at all!" she waved her hands for emphasis.

The two were advancing on her.

"Ne, Lun-chan-"

"Girls, c'mon, Hiyoko-chan just found a really nice café!" came Kanone's saving voice.

"H-hai! Coming, onii-chan! Ja, Rio-nee-chan, Ryoko-nee-chan, we better go, nee? Ikimashou!" Lun turned, and stiffly began to walk towards their leader.

"Mou, Kanone-san, it's HI-YO-NO! H-I-Y-O-N-O! HIYONO! _HIYONO!_ **HIYONO!**"

"Calm down, Hiyono-chan, there I got it right."

"Mou… ara, Lun-chan, doushite? You're so red…"

"N-nothing to worry about, Hiyono-onee-chan!"

Somehow, as they continued their walk, Kanone noticed that the girls were getting closer to Lun. That was good; at least they were getting to know her.

He sighed, he needed a distraction. Oh, lookie, a performing monkey. Lovely.

* * *

…_**to Ayumu-chan's angstiness and its adventures in his room…wahoo!**_

Ayumu Narumi, in the two years that he had spent away from the Blade Children, the Hunters and the deaths caused by such, had never _ever_ had the problem of being angsty.

He grew up, after they left, and became a bit more social, a bit more open, a bit more **there**. He never had the problem of something depressing him so much he wished it wouldn't depress him so much. Never did.

The questions came; of course, they always did- of why he hadn't gone out with Hiyono yet. So they were good friends, they hung out, went to parks and carnivals whenever schedule would allow it, they would eat at each others' houses, they would watch movies together and they would do things couples did.

But they **never** became one. Hiyono never seemed to mind, and the friends he had made during the past months were quick to assume he was just nervous.

Ayumu could admit he was nervous, but not of that, oh never of that. He could tell Hiyono he liked her as a friend, a sister, a dorm mate or whatever, but _that_… he just couldn't.

Not to _him_ at least.

He remembered all those times he caught himself stuttering, looking at someone with forest green eyes. The times he would ask a friend of his, a girl he knew from Physics class, to let him take a picture of her eyes.

Her forest-like eyes.

He never stared so much at a photograph so long in his life. He stared and glared and practically started to talk it- before he realized his problem.

It hadn't even been a problem then.

Now, it was a terrible, terrible problem. A monstrosity, a thing carved out of things unsaid and things they could never ever say. _They, huh?_

Ayumu sighed, rolled over, and tried to faint by lying face-down on his pillow. He was not succeeding, though it was oddly giving him some sense of free thinking. Gods, he needed something to eat. Anything, anything at all.

(a/n: that's girl-thoughts going through your head, Ayu-chan…)

The brunette sighed, into the pillow. He was still mad at Kousuke, and he didn't know why.

Did he even want to know?

He sighed again. He wasn't helping himself by trying to kill himself. _Oh shit!_

Ayumu rolled onto his back, taking big, hefty gulps of air that he forgot he needed. He **forgot**.

_The problem is now this worse, huh?_

_**

* * *

...back to the Hunters' Temporary Headquarters…**_

Ray Inoue was a man of many things. Beauty. Power. Intelligence. And manners, most importantly manners. His mother had raised him to respect anyone and everyone who came his way. Treat them like family.

_Because they might be, given the right circumstances._

His father… his father had taught him to be gracious, through anything and everything. But his Mother had taught him more than just manners, and civility and those finer things in life which he had in abundance. He was a spoiled child, given whatever he desired, come the right time. He was given what he wanted to be his.

_Because they might be, given the right circumstances._

Shaking his head, he freed himself from such thoughts, choosing determinedly to focus on the task at hand. He knew, with an 87 chance to back it up, that Yzak would find out about Eyes' condition, and he knew the blonde would not be happy about it.

No, no one with a heart would.

He smiled quietly to himself. He used to have one of those, and he was starting to think maybe he could start picking up the pieces, what with Shurei and Yzak and Estelle with him.

But no, fate had something else for him.

The child was perfect for his research. Perfect.

He let his wants and needs scoot over to the back of his mind, and focused immensely on the opportunity at hand.

_The chemical known only as C- 18 affects not only the physical abilities of the subject, but also their mental and emotional abilities. In the case of test subject # 12, the results have stabilized over a period of years, though still presents a rather startling result when combined with the 13__th__ element. _

_Test subject # 1 has presented an even greater change, and shall be kept in constant observation._

_Test subject #14 has proven to be the quickest to show signs of activity, and after a short time has even started to develop-_

"Ray!"

He paused, long slender fingers hovering over the keys. The door had opened and closed without him noticing it. This was bad.

A smile was instantly placed on his handsome face, and he stood up.

"Ah, Yzak-dahling, what a marvelous surprise! Oh, dear, what happened to the little ange?" French at the end because it helps soothe people, and because it's one of those languages that simply slip off his tongue, unconsciously, as the younger blonde stalked into the room.

Golden eyes flicker dangerously, a warning sign. The computer screen dims, the light dims, the wind comes in from the previously locked window. Warning signs.

"What the hell is going on?"

_Questions, questions, and dahling did you know that I can answer all of them? I've been lying up to this point, no, no one is alright, the boy isn't, the children aren't, Estelle won't be, Shurei is, and the one that holds your heart- do you think I don't know?_

Ray's smile faded, withering into a slight curve of his lips, and he gestured to the cot in the room.

"Put him there, and I will explain."

_But now the lies and the truths will merge. Father taught me, that lies and truths are good and bad-, only when one thinks so, because they might be, given the right circumstances._

"You better."

_oh, dear. Would you believe me if I told you lies? _

* * *

… _**the forest… in some part of India… **_

Ayumu felt sick. Sick, with himself and Kousuke, and the world, and his brother… mostly at the first two. It was hard to choose which one he hated the most.

He didn't know why he went out of the hotel, and he didn't know why he followed Kousuke into the forest and he didn't know why, but the fact that Kousuke was currently kissing a girl was making his stomach churn.

Hiding from view of anyone, he was glad there was a tall enough tree for him to seek shelter in. the brunette could feel the labored way his breath was coming and going, and for the love of him, he couldn't understand why he was acting this way.

Questions were running a mile a minute in his overly rational head, and the most dominant of them all were:

_Who the hell is that?!_

_Why the hell are they… they… _(a pause accompanied this question, and he refused to complete it)

(and the last, and perhaps the most sensible...)

_What the hell is going on?_

**OWARI**

* * *

Freya: uhn, a note! This is only part one of Spice of Life. I had to cut it here because it was getting too long. Hopefully, you guys don't mind. To all those who reviewed, I am grateful.

"_**Forgiving your enemies and being kind to them- is the greatest victory you will ever know. Of course, a bloody lip and mean right hook wouldn't go amiss either."**_


	15. author's note part 2

To my dearest readers:

Hey guys, Freya Kurenai here! Sorry about the long breaks between the updates. Have I mentioned I'm in my Junior year in highschool already? Here in the Philippines, I'm in 3rd year…

I've also got some other news. I have become –dun,dun,DUN!- studious. Currently, I have no urgent homeworks to do, except for the projects in our English and Computer class.

Where am I playing at, you ask? Don't worry, I won't bore you with details of my school life any longer. The message I've come to give you today may shock and probably disappoint most of you.

…

I'm putting Spiral 2 : Chain of Fate, Silently Loving You, Soft Notes and Roy Talk :DECODED!! On hold.

I know you guys disagree with this, and I don't expect you guys to hear me out. The fics will be set as "Complete" for the time being, and if ever I do finish a chapter for any of them, be assured that I will post it. I am not totally quitting, and neither is Kazuya, but we both have too much on our plates at the time being.

Hopefully, you guys will understand.

Sincerely,

Freya Kurenai.


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